FOUR people were sentenced on Wednesday, March 23, in connection with the murder of Raheem Hanif in Tilehurst.
Abas Khan, aged 24, of Helmsdale Road, Reading, and Kamran Chowdhary, aged 18, of Carey Street, Reading, were found guilty by unanimous jury verdict of murder following a trial lasting ten weeks, which concluded at Reading Crown Court on Friday, January 14.
Chowdhary was also found guilty by unanimous jury verdict of possession of an offensive weapon.
Humzah Sikander, aged 18, of Brunel Road, Reading, and Shekuh Conteh, aged 17, formerly of Frilsham Road, Reading, were found not guilty of murder but convicted of manslaughter by unanimous jury verdict.
Conteh can now been named following the lifting of reporting restrictions by the trial judge.
Sikander had also previously pleaded guilty to one count of grievous bodily harm without intent on a second victim, Raheem’s father, Abdul.
The other three defendants, Khan, Chowdhary and Conteh, were found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm without intent on Abdul.
At the sentencing hearing on Wednesday, March 23, Khan was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 26 years, while Chowdhary was sentenced to a minimum term of 14 years.
Sikander was jailed for six years and Conteh for four years for manslaughter and causing grievous bodily harm without intent.
At approximately 6.55pm on Saturday, February 6, 2021, a Ford Transit van was driven into the car park of a residential address in Dulnan Close, Tilehurst.
The van was driven by Abdul Hanif, who was 47 at the time, and in the passenger seat was his son, Raheem, who was 26.
The van was followed into the car park by a Range Rover Evoque, which circled the car park until it drove into the front of Mr Hanif’s van several times.
Several people got out of the Range Rover, some carrying weapons, including baseball bats and large knives, and these weapons were used to attack the body of the van.
During this initial attack, the driver side window was broken and Abdul Hanif was struck, causing a broken arm.
Mr Hanif’s son, Raheem, was stabbed in the chest through the window of the van and died as a result of this injury.
Khan and Chowdhary were proven to have carried out this attack in a joint enterprise, alongside Sikander and Conteh.
The attack had arisen as a result of a dispute between Raheem Hanif and two of the defendants, Abas Khan and Kamran Chowdhary.
A series of previous incidents had occurred, one of which was on the day before Raheem’s murder on Sunday, February 5, in Oxford Road, Reading.
There was a fight between Raheem and Chowdhary, which was captured on phone and street cameras and witnessed by several members of the public.
Following this fight, Raheem received treatment in hospital for a small wound to his nose.
Later the same afternoon, Raheem’s car was parked near his address in Dulnan Close and while in the car park, his vehicle was attacked, with all the windows being smashed and tyres slashed.
These incidents were proven to be a forerunner to the incident on Monday, February 6, which resulted in Raheem’s death.
Senior investigating officer Detective Superintendent Stuart Bosley said: “This needless and tragic murder occurred amidst a background of animosity between Raheem and the defendants who were convicted.
“There had been a number of incidents leading up to the evening of February 6, and the day before, Raheem had been involved in a fight with one of the defendants.
“The murder of Raheem on February 6 was retribution for this ongoing animosity, and the violence that met him that night was completely unjustified.
“Raheem’s father also suffered a serious injury, and had the terrible ordeal of seeing his son being stabbed in front of him.
“None of the defendants have ever shown any remorse or taken any responsibility for Raheem’s death, and I am pleased that a jury has seen through their accounts to convict Khan and Chowdhary of murder.
“Sikander and Conteh were acquitted of murder, but were found guilty of manslaughter.
“Arriving with weapons that night, it was very clear that Khan and Chowdhary intended to cause at the very least, really serious harm to Raheem, in this horrific joint enterprise attack.
“Although not all four would have inflicted the fatal wound to Raheem, we were able to prove beyond reasonable doubt that all four were involved in the attack in some capacity, and, in the case of Khan and Chowdhary, arrived at the scene intent on causing really serious harm.
Detective Superintendent Bosley said that the attack was another example of the very real dangers of carrying weapons, particularly knives.
“If you carry a knife, you put yourself in danger of either using it yourself, or it being used against you.
“Carrying a knife can never be justified in any circumstance, and we will continue to pursue those who look to do so and bring offenders to justice.
“I would like to pay tribute to Raheem’s family and friends for their dignity and courage throughout the course of this investigation.
“Raheem’s father, Abdul, suffered a significant injury himself during this incident, but his evidence and account of what happened and his support of our investigation has helped us bring his son’s killers to justice.
“All four defendants will now serve substantial prison sentences, and although I know that no sentence will bring solace to Raheem’s family and friends, I hope that they will be able to move on with their lives in the knowledge that justice has been served.
“I would like to close by extending my sincere condolences on behalf of Thames Valley Police to Raheem’s family and friends for their loss.”
