Man Jailed Over 2006 Murder

A man convicted of the murder of one of two brothers killed in 2006 has been jailed for life.

Imran Aslam, 28, was told at the Old Bailey he must serve a minimum of 20 years for the murder of Hayder Ali, who was one of two brothers killed in 2006.

Aslam, from Tooting, was charged in May 2010 with the murder of Mohammed Ali and his brother Hayder Ali, following the incident in April 2006.

He was found guilty of the murder of Hayder Ali in February this year following a trial. He was also charged with conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm and violent disorder. Aslam was acquitted of the murder of Mohammed Ali.

Detectives from the Metropolitan Police's Homicide and Serious Crime Command undertook the investigation into these murders. During the early stages of the investigation, a number of men were arrested.

Aslam had escaped arrest fleeing to Pakistan shortly after the murder, only choosing to return in May 2010. He had not announced to police that he intended to return to the UK, however HSCC officers were quick to arrest him upon his arrival at Heathrow.

The brothers, Mohammed Ali, 29, and Hayder Ali, 28, died following a large disturbance and fight in Fircroft Road, Tooting. They had gone to the area along with nine friends, all in a van belonging to one of their group. What followed was a series of incidents between the victims’ group and another group of local men, the first of which was at around 9pm. This first incident was to be the starting point that would ultimately lead to the death of both Mohammed and Hayder Ali at just after midnight in Fircroft Road.

Following the initial confrontation, two further incidents occurred whereby vehicles belonging to both of the groups were damaged. It was clear that the intensity of the attacks were growing as the evening developed.

After midnight on the 22 April 2006, the van with the victims in returned to the Tooting area for the third time. As it drove down Fircroft Road, the van came to a stop at the junction with the Upper Tooting Road.

It was then that the van was ambushed by a group of men, numbering between 30 - 40 strong, who descended upon the van, armed with a variety of weapons. Witnesses described seeing the assailants with knives, baseball bats, sticks, metal poles, a hammer and even a steering lock.

In all police recovered approximately 40 weapons from the scene.

As Mohammed Ali got out the van, he stabbed in the stomach. This group of males included, the prosecution alleged, Imran Aslam. Mohammed ran away shouting to his friends that he had been stabbed before collapsing a short distance away. Witnesses then describe the attackers kicking him as he lay dying on the ground.

Hayder Ali, seeing his brother in trouble, went back to help him. He was soon surrounded and also violently attacked. Once again, Imran Aslam was part of the group that attacked Hayder who was stabbed four times in the back. He was also stabbed in the leg with a screw driver and hit with a baseball bat and a hammer. He later died at hospital.

A number of men have already been tried in relation to these murders, four of them were sentenced to a total of 36 years for their involvement.

Acting Detective Inspector Gail Granville said: "I am very happy with the sentence. This is a result of a protracted and complex investigation that has now extended for over four years. MPS detectives and police staff have worked tirelessly to secure the evidence to bring the right people to court and seek justice for Mohammed and Hayder's family.”

(BMcN/GK)