Asian gang who got out of control
Three British-born Pakistani men are facing life sentences after being convicted of murdering a white graduate in London while drunk. BBC News Website looks at the case in detail.
Three young men get very drunk, shout racist abuse, assault a waiter in a curry house and get involved in a series of brawls, climaxing with an attack on a innocent man who crosses their path.
It sounds like an all too familiar night of violence of the type which blights many city centres in Britain.
Except that the victim, 30-year-old graduate Christopher Yates, was white, the killers were all British-born Pakistani men from devout Muslim families and the attack happened in the middle of Ramadan.
Binge drinking
On Tuesday Imran Maqsood, 21, and his friends Zahid Bashir, 23, and 25-year-old Sajid Zulfiqar were found guilty of murder.
They will be sentenced on Thursday and Judge Martin Stephens QC told them they could each receive a minimum 30-year sentence if he decides the killing was racially motivated.
Maqsood, Bashir and Zulfiqar eschewed their parents' religion and culture - although they paid lip service to it - and chose instead to imitate their white English peers with binge drinking, sex and consumerism.
The Old Bailey heard that on 7 November last year the three men got drunk on beer and brandy in the West End before heading back towards their homes in Ilford, east London.
Around 4.30am Mr Yates, a data inputter, dropped a female friend off at a bus stop and then took a short cut through the car park of the University of East London in Barking.
There he found Zulfiqar, Bashir and Maqsood, who were still drinking.
Without provocation they knocked him to the ground and began kicking and stamping on his head.
Afterwards one witness said she heard Zulfiqar saying in Urdu: "We killed the white man."
Another witness overheard them say: "That will teach the white man for interfering in Paki business."
'Ferocious attack'
Mr Yates died of extensive fracturing of the facial bones, caused by multiple kicking and stamping.
Anthony Leonard QC, prosecuting, said: "It was a ferocious attack...In particular his head was stamped on with some force...When the assault was over the defendants moved to a nearby road where they damaged several vehicles and set off car alarms as well as threatening householders."
They racially abused a black resident and then moved on to a curry house where they assaulted an Asian waiter.
Giving evidence, Maqsood said: "We were all drunk and acting like idiots in the City. I had a few fights in the City. I acted like an idiot at the Ali curry house but the bottom line is I didn't hurt Mr Yates."
They posed a "cut-throat" defence, all seeking to blame each other for Mr Yates' murder.
The trial painted a picture of three men whose drinking and womanising was kept secret from their families.
Secret girlfriend
The Old Bailey heard Maqsood's parents had no idea he drank alcohol and he even had a secret girlfriend, Sophie Shah.
Defence counsel, David Nathan, asked: "Were your parents aware of the relationship you had been having with Sophie Shah?"
Maqsood, who was born in Burnley, Lancashire, replied: "No. It's something I wouldn't do (tell them). In our religion you don't tell your parents. They might get upset."
Mr Nathan asked: "Was the relationship you were having something which was approved of in your religion before marriage?"
"No," Maqsood replied.
Ms Shah broke up with him while he was on remand at Belmarsh prison and she gave evidence at his trial, claiming he had confessed to his involvement in the killing of Mr Yates.
Fled to Yorkshire
After the killing the men fled to Yorkshire and stayed at a friend's hotel in Pontefract.
Police believe they were planning to flee the country from Manchester Airport, which has daily flights to Pakistan.
Mr Leonard said: "All three men were concerned that this would be made out to be a racist incident."
The court heard that a hotel porter overheard them discussing the reaction in the Muslim community, which would be outraged because they had been drinking alcohol during Ramadan.
A fourth man, Junaid Khan, who admitted stealing Mr Yates' mobile phone while he lay on the ground, was sentenced earlier this year.
[url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4416988.stm]BBC NEWS[/url]
These are guys who live in my area. Their families are devasted.
What I don’t like about the story is that BCC news didn’t stick to the relevant facts.
What’s it got to do with BBC news that the guys committed the Murder in Ramadan? Of course, as Muslims we know how wrong it is to sin in Ramadan…but this has no relevance to the story.
Also, they’ve totally landed Sophia Shah-the “secret girlfriend” in it. Her name will be mentioned every hour on BBC News 24 as the “secret girlfriend”. Her parents will be screwing…of course Muslims know that dating is haraam…but what relevance does that have with the murder?
Actually it has got relevance coz they murdered whilst drunk and secret girlfriend went against her boyfriend. it just shows how some muslims are a disgrace to Islam!!!!
SKHAN
Good article.
It's trying to show how it's usually white guys who get drunk and beat Pakis up, but in this case the tables are turned.
In a sense it shows how these guys had assimilated into the 'British way of life'.
The girlfriend is part of the story. Having a gf is part of the British way of life.
If she gets blowback for this from her family/community then it's her own fault. But i doubt she'd have given evidence in court without realising the consequences, she might have told her family first.
Besides, this is a by-lined story. At BBC Online that means that it's opinion/analysis.
Being drunk has relevance to the murder. I don’t deny that.
But what relevance does having a secret girlfriend have to do with the murder?
In the court of this country, having a secret girlfriend doesn’t make the murderers any more or less guilty.
In the Court of Allah (swt) it does. However, these guys are being charged in a secular court.
What they did was wrong; they totally deserve what they got. However, it was unnecessary to name and shame the “secret girlfriend”.
The girl gave evidence secretly. She had too much to lose if she openly declared her involvement with such low lifes.
This countrys court uses Islam against the muslim criminals!!!! its the only way to make them feel they`ve done wrong coz u see muslims saying how proud they are of being a muslim and then do things like that!!! Not a good way of showing it!
SKHAN
ah, muslimsis, u beat me to it - i was gonna post this up too!
this article raises so many issues... the thoughts that went thru my mind as i read it ranged from anger to sadness.
if i was a non-Muslim reading that, i'd think all 'Pakis' and/or Muslims were complete animals.
the Muslim community has bigger issues than they think. :?
[size=9]I NEVER WORE IT BECAUSE OF THE TALIBAN, MOTHER. I LIKE THE [b]MODESTY[/b] AND [b]PROTECTION[/b] IT AFFORDS ME FROM THE EYES OF MEN.[/size] [url=http://www.adherents.com/lit/comics/Dust.html]Dust, X-Men[/url]
them guys are all scums
I feel sorry for the GF though
they'll be all out for her blood when they get out-and now the whole world knows her buisness
but she should have thought of that before getting involved with such scums
[color=blue][b]Asalamu alaikum!
Reading this article just shows hw our community is fallin apart. Instead of us bringin non Muslims towards Islam we r followin them.
Id hav to say they r luky their nt livin in an Islamic State coz then by government they wuld hav an Islamic punishment either Hadd ( fixed penalty/death) or Qisas (optional punishments, jail sentence etc...)
All i can say is that the Muslim community jus brings shame,i just wonder sumtimes wats Allah (swt) n His Beloved
thinkin 
Fi Iman Allah[/b][/color]
"Duniya toh badalti rehti hai...Ey mere Quaid tuh kabhi Na badal janaa"
lame excuse :roll:
I heard a lot about them evil scums-they're not the type to feel guilty
they prob screwing that they got clocked :roll:
So he was not opne of the drunk hooligans, he happened to walking along saw a raw peice of meat on the ground with arms and legs most probably still with active signs...and went for the guys phone? No 999 call, nothing, just his phone.
Have these people no heart?
Gentleness and kindness were never a part of anything except that it made it beautiful, and harshness was never a part of anything except that it made it ugly.
Through cheating, stealing, and lying, one may get required results but finally one becomes
the guy who robbed his phone was one of the guys in the gang
thats how the police traced them-via the mobile phone
oh.
This is wrong in so many ways, violates so many sharia laws, these people should be made to understand what they have done. I don't mean killing them I mean getting it through to their hearts what exactly they did to a fellow human being to a ibne Aadam AS.
Then the penal punishments.
Gentleness and kindness were never a part of anything except that it made it beautiful, and harshness was never a part of anything except that it made it ugly.
Through cheating, stealing, and lying, one may get required results but finally one becomes
its wrong in many ways but highlights their dum.bness too
after murdering someone-they steal his mobile phone
its no wonder they got clocked almost staright away-
And they're all supposed to be good mates :roll:
well, they should feel the full force of the law.
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
like that ever happens
by the MuslimSis.......what you said about the fact it was in Ramadan and the secret girlfriend, or ramadan at least....probz has no relevance. but again, its all a trick. i know journalists, they are sooo biased before anything even happens
The Lover is ever drunk with love;
He is free, he is mad,
He dances with ecstasy and delight.
Caught by our own thoughts,
We worry about every little thing,
But once we get drunk on that love,
Whatever will be, will be.
ɐɥɐɥ
uh, hayduh hav u read the article?
i personally think he was mentioning Ramadan and stuff from a 'good' viewpoint i.e. how the Muslim community were shocked, and the family had no idea wot their sons got upto... so that the entire Muslim community doesnt get further demonised by the actions of these wierdos.
as irf mentioned, this is an 'analysis' type of article, there were atleast two 'factual' articles released prior to this one. now tht theyv been convicted and the court case is over, the 'analysis' comes out.
[size=9]I NEVER WORE IT BECAUSE OF THE TALIBAN, MOTHER. I LIKE THE [b]MODESTY[/b] AND [b]PROTECTION[/b] IT AFFORDS ME FROM THE EYES OF MEN.[/size] [url=http://www.adherents.com/lit/comics/Dust.html]Dust, X-Men[/url]
i dont think the article was too biased coz the above paragraph shows that waht they did was an imitation of what is common for some pf the 'white english peers' and its not the culture that muslims follow or encourage
exactly! if anything, the writer put the murderers' behaviour down to English culture of booze and wotnot.
[size=9]I NEVER WORE IT BECAUSE OF THE TALIBAN, MOTHER. I LIKE THE [b]MODESTY[/b] AND [b]PROTECTION[/b] IT AFFORDS ME FROM THE EYES OF MEN.[/size] [url=http://www.adherents.com/lit/comics/Dust.html]Dust, X-Men[/url]
This makes me think that i always think stuff like this happens to other people, or getting drunk, racially abusing and murdering is sumthing which is quite far away from the world that i live in but it goes to show that any one of those boys could have been our brothers, cousins close freinds etc
There are lot of people, both boys and girls, who play the ideal son or daughter role but go out and abuse their parents trust.....i know of people myself who have gone away from home...to study or to work and take the oppurtunity to 'experience' clubbing and other attributes of the young white culture
Its no wonder why some parents feel that they have lost their children into this society and why some parents are apprehensive about letting their children move away
Parents should give the right tarbiyyah to their children and leave the rest to Allah (s.w.t.)
[size=9]I NEVER WORE IT BECAUSE OF THE TALIBAN, MOTHER. I LIKE THE [b]MODESTY[/b] AND [b]PROTECTION[/b] IT AFFORDS ME FROM THE EYES OF MEN.[/size] [url=http://www.adherents.com/lit/comics/Dust.html]Dust, X-Men[/url]
Blame it on society then, why not?
(Not a reply to Hedwig's point)
What do you blame it on, if anything?
Nothing really. People are responsible for doing what they do. If we could only blame others nothing would work. If it were down to society to stop people committing crime, humanity would be fatally flawed. And we can and do take responsibility for our offspring and environment, but that is gracious, and no excuse for anyone.
they were drunk and they were in a gang and one thing led to another i'm not giving excuses but sometimes we do terrible things when in gangs and being drunk on top of that well that just compounds any situation.
i dont really care whether they were muslim or not the crime is terrible and they must be dealt with as any other criminal
Muslim Sister is right why mention they are Muslim - as if the media really believes Islam is good and is shocked that Muslims can do this! - as if
wots with the eyerolling 100, do explain...
poor journalist who wrote tht article must b thinking 'damned if i do, damned if i dont'....
come on seema, y the pessimism? our media isnt THAT bad, we shud b glad, the British media is amazing compared to some others abroad. [size=7]*cough CNN, FOX cough*[/size]
[size=9]I NEVER WORE IT BECAUSE OF THE TALIBAN, MOTHER. I LIKE THE [b]MODESTY[/b] AND [b]PROTECTION[/b] IT AFFORDS ME FROM THE EYES OF MEN.[/size] [url=http://www.adherents.com/lit/comics/Dust.html]Dust, X-Men[/url]
That [i]so[/i] shouldn't require an explanation.
[size=9]I NEVER WORE IT BECAUSE OF THE TALIBAN, MOTHER. I LIKE THE [b]MODESTY[/b] AND [b]PROTECTION[/b] IT AFFORDS ME FROM THE EYES OF MEN.[/size] [url=http://www.adherents.com/lit/comics/Dust.html]Dust, X-Men[/url]
(Another smiley! Maybe I'm [url=http://www.letssingit.com/?/lcd-soundsystem-losing-my-edge-2dhhzk2.html]... my edge[/url]. No bad thing.)
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