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Aamir Siddiqi murder: killers jailed for stabbing teenager by mistake Aamir Siddiqi murder: killers jailed for stabbing teenager by mistake
(about 2 hours later)
Two hitmen who stabbed an innocent schoolboy to death by mistake have been told they will spend at least 40 years each in prison before being eligible for parole. Two hitmen who stabbed an innocent schoolboy to death by mistake in a "callous and cruel" attack have been told they will spend at least 40 years each in prison before being eligible for parole.
Ben Hope, 39, and Jason Richards, 38, from Cardiff, were each paid £1,000 in "blood money" to murder a middle-aged family man who had fallen out with a local businessman over a property deal. Sentencing Ben Hope and Jason Roberts, Mr Justice Royce said few people would shed a tear if the pair died in jail for the murder of talented 17-year-old Aamir Siddiqi.
But the balaclava-clad killers, who had taken heroin, went to the wrong address in the Welsh capital and murdered 17-year-old Aamir Siddiqi, a talented student who had been planning to go to law school. Hope, 39, and Richards, 38, from Cardiff, had each been paid £1,000 in "blood money" to murder a middle-aged family man who had fallen out with a local businessman over a property deal.
His parents, Iqbal and Parveen Siddiqi, fought to save their son but were also knifed by the killers during the attack in April 2010. But the balaclava-clad killers, who had taken heroin, went to the wrong address in the Welsh capital and murdered Aamir in front of his helpless parents.
Hope and Richards – who had long histories of violence – both protested their innocence during their four-and-a-half-month trial at Swansea crown court. The judge said Aamir was a "bright, gentle and courteous boy who was much loved by his family", who had a future "brimming with promise" as a law student.
But a jury unanimously found the pair guilty of Aamir's murder as well as the attempted murder of his parents. He told Hope and Richards: "You two came in, wearing balaclavas and making a terrible wailing sound. Your attack on him was brutal, savage, callous and cruel. You hacked him to death in front of his parents, who fought in vain to save Aamir.
The prosecution asked the judge, Mr Justice Royce, to set a minimum term of at least 30 years. The judge said he had no choice but to "significantly increase" that term and said the pair might never be released. "It was simply good fortune that they were not killed. It was your intention that they should die too. If you die in jail, few will shed a tear and many will say it will be more than deserved."
During their trial, the court heard Hope and Richards had been paid by a businessman angry over a collapsed property deal to kill a father-of-four who lived in a neighbouring street. The businessman cannot be named for legal reasons. But they went instead to a similar-looking red-brick, end-of-row house just around the corner in Ninian Road in the Cardiff suburb of Roath. The judge said the pair had been paid a "pittance" for the killing and added that their desire to get their "blood money" reflected a warped philosophy on life.
Aamir had run down the stairs to answer the door expecting to see his imam, who was due to give him a Qur'an lesson. Instead, he opened the front door to two masked killers. Howling, Hope and Richards brandished daggers over their heads and set upon the helpless A-level student. He listed aggravating features which proved why the case's seriousness was "exceptionally high" – the murder of a child, the murder of a child in front of his parents, the two attempted murders, the fact a great deal of premeditation had gone into the killing, and both defendants' previous long list of convictions for violence.
The teenager desperately tried to run back into the house, but they chased him and repeatedly lashed out. Royce read brief excerpts of a victim impact statement from Aamir's parents. It said every inch of his mother's body ached with grief and how she and her husband are now afraid to answer to the front door because of what happened in April 2010.
After the murder, a huge manhunt began and the killers' stolen Volvo car used in the crime was later found abandoned. Traces of Aamir's blood were found in the car's footwell, as were Hope's fingerprints and Richards's DNA. The statement also detailed the sadness of the couple having to sell their once-cherished family home and move away from Cardiff due to the painful daily memories the city holds.
Following the jury's verdict, Aamir's sister Umbareen Siddiqi, 33, paid tribute to her murdered brother. Speaking on the courthouse steps, she said: "Aamir was a beautiful person with a bright future. If he was still with us he would be looking forward to turning 21 this year and completing his law degree. Royce said Aamir's parents had the terrible sight of their son being hacked to death by Hope and Richards "etched on to their memories".
"He was the heartbeat of our family but his warmth, love, affection and humour touched many more people. After sentencing, Umbareen Siddiqi, Aamir's sister, said: "On behalf of the family, we're delighted. We feel this sentence is appropriate. Our brother won't return to us but this will go some way to achieving peace for all of us."
"We are pleased that justice has finally been done and we can finally start to deal with the reality of losing Aamir." During their trial at Swansea crown court, the jury was told Hope and Richards had been paid by a businessman angry over a collapsed property deal to kill a father-of-four who lived in a neighbouring street.
But they went instead to a similar-looking red-brick, end-of-row house around the corner in Ninian Road in the Cardiff suburb of Roath.
Aamir had run down the stairs to answer the door expecting to see his imam, who was due to give him a Qur'an lesson. Instead, he opened the front door to two masked killers.