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| Leicester explosion: Three men guilty of murdering five people | Leicester explosion: Three men guilty of murdering five people |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Three men have been found guilty of murder after an explosion at a shop killed five people, including a mother and her two sons. | Three men have been found guilty of murder after an explosion at a shop killed five people, including a mother and her two sons. |
| The blast destroyed a supermarket and the flat above where a family lived on Hinckley Road, Leicester, in February. | The blast destroyed a supermarket and the flat above where a family lived on Hinckley Road, Leicester, in February. |
| The city's crown court heard the men caused the explosion in order to make about £300,000 in an insurance scam. | The city's crown court heard the men caused the explosion in order to make about £300,000 in an insurance scam. |
| Aram Kurd, Hawkar Hassan and Arkan Ali had denied five counts of murder in addition to conspiracy to commit fraud. | Aram Kurd, Hawkar Hassan and Arkan Ali had denied five counts of murder in addition to conspiracy to commit fraud. |
| In a statement read out following the verdicts, Jose Ragoobeer said he and his family's lives would "never be the same". | |
| The killers had lit 26 litres of petrol in the basement of the Polish shop Zabka, Leicestershire Police said. | The killers had lit 26 litres of petrol in the basement of the Polish shop Zabka, Leicestershire Police said. |
| Shane Ragoobeer, 18, his 17-year-old brother Sean, Shane's girlfriend Leah Beth Reek, 18, and the brothers' mother, Mary Ragoobar, 46, were in the flat when the explosion occurred at about 19:00 GMT on 25 February. | Shane Ragoobeer, 18, his 17-year-old brother Sean, Shane's girlfriend Leah Beth Reek, 18, and the brothers' mother, Mary Ragoobar, 46, were in the flat when the explosion occurred at about 19:00 GMT on 25 February. |
| Mr Ragoobeer said: "Not a day goes by when we don't think about Mary, Shane and Sean." | |
| Leah's sister, Molly, added: "It makes us angry and breaks our hearts that we will never get the chance to see Leah reach her full potential in life." | |
| Viktorija Ijevleva, 22, was working in the shop at the time of the blast and was also killed. | Viktorija Ijevleva, 22, was working in the shop at the time of the blast and was also killed. |
| The five-week trial was told the defendants left Ms Ijevleva to die because she was aware of the insurance policy taken out less than three weeks earlier. | The five-week trial was told the defendants left Ms Ijevleva to die because she was aware of the insurance policy taken out less than three weeks earlier. |
| The investigation led police to trawl through more than 700 hours of CCTV footage, and examine more than 2,500 exhibits, 1,000 witness statements and 4,000 different lines of inquiry. | The investigation led police to trawl through more than 700 hours of CCTV footage, and examine more than 2,500 exhibits, 1,000 witness statements and 4,000 different lines of inquiry. |
| Ali, 38, of Drake Close in Oldham; 33-year-old Hassan, of Eld Road in Coventry; and Kurd, 34, of Hillary Place in Leicester, are due to be sentenced on 18 January. | Ali, 38, of Drake Close in Oldham; 33-year-old Hassan, of Eld Road in Coventry; and Kurd, 34, of Hillary Place in Leicester, are due to be sentenced on 18 January. |
| The jury took just over 11 hours to find them guilty on all counts. | The jury took just over 11 hours to find them guilty on all counts. |