UK & World News
- 4 February 2013, 7:36
Aamir Siddiqi: Hitmen Guilty Of Teen's Murder
Two hitmen who managed to kill the wrong person have been found guilty of murder.
Ben Hope, 39, and Jason Richards, 38, were convicted of the murder of talented student Aamir Siddiqi.
Aamir, 17, was savagely stabbed to death by the pair after opening the door of his family home in Roath, Cardiff.
Prosecutors said drug users Hope and Richards had been paid £1,000 each to kill a local businessman who was involved in a property dispute.
They planned to carry out the "hit" at lunchtime on Sunday, April 11, 2010 and went to the house they believed belonged to the businessman.
Their intended target lived on Shirley Road in an affluent part of the city, instead they went to Ninian Road - the adjacent street.
As he was expecting his Koran teacher to call Aamir opened the door of his parents' home. Within seconds the masked men started attacking him with a knife.
They said nothing during the attack and the court heard how they made strange "howling noises".
Aamir's parents rushed to the front door and desperately tried to pull the men off their son.
Both parents were injured in the attack but they could not save their son, who had suffered fatal injuries.
Shortly after the killing both defendants went shopping with their blood money.
Richards bought a new pair of trainers and a laptop computer.
Outside the court, Aamir's sister Miriam read a statement from her family.
"We are pleased today that justice has finally been done and we can finally start to deal with the reality of losing Aamir," she said.
South Wales Police scoured an enormous amount of CCTV in their murder investigation.
If officers had viewed every frame they collected it would have taken eight years to watch.
A man who is still wanted in connection with the investigation is still waiting to be extradited from India.
what do you think?
Name witheld
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Dr_MonicaKh
Clown.
Louisa Gieldon
It's Christos, Dr M - he haunts these here parts, being bumped off and returning under different names every now and then!
Vladtheinhaler .
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jones.emyr
Hitmen will soon have to provide references! What a pair of prize numpties!
RayMcGlynn
Modern Britain!
david
come on u dogooding idiots ..stop all this human rights c^^^p HANG THEM ALL I WILL TAKE THE JOB AND ENJOY IT
Juliecrumpton1234
Well said!
Louisa Gieldon
Human rights are not "c,rap" David. You may not agree with all of them but if you would honestly rather live in a country where people's human rights are not recognised, then take your pick-there are plenty to choose from!
Vladtheinhaler .
Louisa, it's people like you who have let this country degenerate into the lawless society we have today. If the proper sentences for murder were given , instead of a life in prison, being fed and pampered, maybe these two clowns would have had second thoughts before killing an innocent young man. What about his human rights. Your idea of human rights, as set down by all you do gooders , is to slap em on the wrist, and give them a few years of dodgy food. !!!
Louisa Gieldon
Vlad - i believe in punishment, but i also believe in rehabilitation and personal atonement. You believe in Capital punishment and i do not. I am always up to debate this and welcome a good discussion. But please don't stereotype me and be so rude as to presume that I have no moral compass and encourage criminal activity. You don't know me and if you did you would now how much i loathe cruelty, ignorance and inconsideration. Just because i don't use cheap tabloid language should not be a reason for you to be so rude to me and my opinions. I believe in human rights, for you me and everyone else but that does not mean i approve of criminal activity and wickedness.
Louisa Gieldon
And i would say to you Vlad, as i did to David - there are many countries where human rights are not recognised. I do not think you would wish to live in those countries. If human rights are not respected, then sooner or later we will all suffer.
Louisa Gieldon
And David. if you would enjoy the job of public executioner, then it'd definitely not for you. If you really want to kill people there are employment opportunities all over the world
david
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marc H
A life for a life. These yobs know they will be out in ten years,having spent them in comfort and relying on their 'human rights' which they calously denied their victim. Im ashamed to be British.
Name witheld
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Mushtacq Hussain
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Louisa Gieldon
Mushtacq if capital punishment is such a deterrent then why do people still murder each other in countries who still use execution as a punishment? It doesn't deter, it's used as revenge and taking more lives never brought any victim back.
Louisa Gieldon
This was a terribly sad crime and the brutality of killing someone you don't even know, for a fee, is so disgusting. To think of that boy just opening his own front door before he was murdered! He is the same age as my youngest and i can only imagine what his family must be feeling. Saw them on tv earlier and they all seemed like a nice family, so sorry for their terrible loss.
Name witheld
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Louisa Gieldon
And i understand the plight of the Afghani people, who have seen their children killed, their country torn apart and the smiles taken from the faces of their women by nearly thirty five years of tyranny. The names of the oppressors change but the country had been reduced to a stone age condition by evil and power hungry men. So don't preach to me my friend! I can still comment on an individual tragedy.
movvi
I just watched his sister talking on the news, while leaving court. His family seems so quiet and dignified even now. I admire them greatly - I don't think I could be so civil.
Louisa Gieldon
They were nice, weren't they. Poor people and they said such beautiful things about their boy!
marc H
Tragic but this is Britain, there is no sharia law.
Alex Thompson
That is a good thing
Dr_MonicaKh
What a cynical comment
stevie may
A thousand pounds for a contract? Bit cheap. . The usual underworld price for a 'full stop' is ten G. No wonder the murderers were incompetants.
Alex Thompson
How would you know how much a hitman usually charges
Lorgar Aurelian
Stevie is quite right. 10k minimum is what a professional hit would cost. It ain't rocket to know that a 2k contract is stupidly cheap. But then that's junkies for you. Nothing said about the person who took out the contract either.
Alex Thompson
Like I said how would you know how much a hit costs or even if 10k is the minimum price, I haven't seen many adverts and price guides on the internet lately.
stevie may
You dont need to be a contract killer to know the market price for a fullstop. I'm not an astronaut but I know how much the International Space Station cost.
Alex Thompson
Steve the cost of the space station is widely available to look up, hit men don't advertise on the internet and you have no real idea what they charge.
Louisa Gieldon
While having no "ondider" knowledge as to how much a "hit" usually costs, I did think it was rather cheap and that made me think they were not "professionals" in their field, if you know what i mean. The fee and the ineptitude points to a couple of petty criminals.
Louisa Gieldon
Sorry! "ondider" should read as "insider"!
stevie may
Yes I do Alex. . . Its 10G. Any other questions in life that outreach your knowledge? Oh! That many. . .?
Alex Thompson
Stevie you have no real idea or clue how much the minimum charge is so stop digging yourself further into a hole.
stevie may
Still 10 G minimum for a full stop Alex. . No need to get narky because other people know things that you dont. . .
Alex Thompson
Not narky Stevie because you clearly don't know what you are talking about. Its easy to make claims on a news forum but it doesn't make them true or accurate. Its obvious they were amateur by the price but that does not mean a pro charges 10G minimum.
stevie may
Made a point that others have agreed with. . Youve been banging on and on but offer no alternate to the thing you dont know about. So just because you dont know something, nobody else can? Look on the internet for previous convictions of contract killers and see how much they were paid. Going rate 10G. Happy now? Like trying to educate a child talking to you. Live your own life and stop leeching off others. .
Alex Thompson
Are you getting upset because you are clearly wrong Stevie so now you resort to petty insults, that just shows a lack of intellect. Funnily enough when I have read reports of this kind of crime in the past the price is usually alot higher, 10G is not really enough money to risk life in jail or execution in some countries. Also I didn't say I don't know anything I merely said you are wrong and just making wild statements on here in some attempt to impress people. Maybe you should stop acting like a child
shaun spencer
Id like to know who took out the contract.and why they also havent been caught.
Nitin patil
England following America
chris buckingham
This is horrific in many ways. The price of a life being £2000 and the fact that they went shopping straight after. There doesn't seem to have been any assurance on the research or the fact that the job had even been done properly. Very scary based on the facts presented. All I can say is re open the Tower. These druggie wasters are oxygen thieves who do not deserve to do just 10 years a piece in independent lodging with a playstation and tv. Hang these creatures. If they treat life so cheaply moving from drug fix to drug fix then they should be removed from the social bill.
Louisa Gieldon
Chris, where does the article mention "druggies" or drug use?
Diane Rogers
News said they were both high as kites,if my suggestion what to do with druggies was done this lad may still be alive
Russell6730
Well said chris.......not only are they a waste of oxygen, they also contaminate the human gene pool.
Louisa Gieldon
What news said that? Just asking so don't read any more into it than that D.
Diane Rogers
Sky news BBC news and think papers
Louisa Gieldon
I read some other articles and saw that they were long term drug users with a violent past. It is wrong to suggest that all drug users/addicts would behave in this way. Take the drugs out the equation amd you still have a couple of brutal and unfeeling men. I know many drug users who would b offended and horrified ay the suggeation that they were capable of such a crime
Nigel L
Keep up orange many of todays " News" items are days old
Gary W Beard
no noose is bad news
phil turner
Last weeks news Orange
Neil C
12:14pm on 1/2/2013
Jaw dropping :O( Poor young man and family, very very sad. We should have one outcome with this, but we will give them food and shelter.
PinkyLilac
9:08am on 3/2/2013
Whoever gave a thumbs down...U should be ashamed of yourself u obv have no heart...
Louisa Gieldon
6:11pm on 3/2/2013
But maybe they gave a thumbs down because they don't believe in capital punishment and Neil's post seems to be calling for that. I don't support it but i still think this was a very sad and despicable incident.