A gang of thugs who bludgeoned a delivery driver to death with an axe, a golf club, a hockey stick and a metal bar have been found guilty of murder.
Shivdeep Singh, 27, Arshdeep Singh, 24, Manjot Singh, 24, and Jagdeep Singh, 23, murdered DPD delivery driver Aurman Singh, 23, in Shrewsbury on August 21, 2023. They face life in prison for the horrific killing.
A fifth man, Sukhmandeep Singh, 25, was acquitted of murder but found guilty of manslaughter.
The court heard there was no evidence to prove why the vicious killing happened.
The gang also used a wooden stave, shovel, knife and cricket bat to beat Aurman before they left him for dead in a huge pool of blood with ‘his brain exposed’.
DPD delivery driver Aurman Singh, 23, (pictured) was bludgeoned to death in a vicious attack in Shrewsbury, on August 21, 2023
Police officers and forensic teams attend the scene in Berwick Avenue in Coton Hill, Shrewsbury in August 2023
Shivdeep Singh, 27, (left) Arshdeep Singh, 24, (right) Manjot Singh, 24, and Jagdeep Singh, 23, murdered DPD delivery driver Aurman Singh, 23, in Shrewsbury on August 21, 2023
All four murderers face life in prison for the horrific killing. Pictured: Manjot Singh, 24, (left) and Jagdeep Singh, 23
A fifth man, Sukhmandeep Singh, 25, (pictured) was acquitted of murder but found guilty of manslaughter
DPD employee Aurman Singh, from Smethwick, was part of a two-man crew working in Shrewsbury when he was brutally ambushed by masked thugs in a chilling spate of violence which lasted just ‘seconds’.
Terrified parents quickly ushered their children inside their homes as they watched the armed men walk down their street on a bright summer’s day.
Aurman’s panicked workmate instantly rushed away from the street, shouting at his friend to run for his life after seeing the weapon-wielding killers advance towards his colleague.
Yet Aurman only managed to sprint a few yards before collapsing to the ground and falling victim to the vicious onslaught.
His killers made a quick bid for freedom, fleeing in the two cars they had arrived in and taking some of their blood-stained murder weapons with them.
A video of the axe and wooden stave soiled with Aurman’s blood was filmed moments after the cold-hearted murderers got back into the vehicles.
All five men denied murder and stood trial at Stafford Crown Court. The four convicted of murder were caught after officers found them dumping the weapons in a nearby bin.
Four men – Harpreet Singh, Mehakdeep Singh, Harwinder Singh Turna and Sehajpal Singh – are still wanted in connection with the case. They are said to have been taken to and from the scene of the killing in a Mercedes.
Delivery driver Aurman only managed to sprint a few yards before collapsing to the ground and falling victim to the vicious onslaught. Pictured: Officers outside the scene at Berwick Avenue in 2023
The gang of four lay in wait before launching a violent attack which police said showed they ‘intended to kill’ the 23-year-old DPD driver. Pictured: Officers outside the scene on Berwick Avenue
During the six-week trial, prosecutors said: ‘It isn’t necessary in order to prove murder to prove a motive, to prove why it happened.
‘And in this case the prosecution will not try to prove why it happened. We don’t have evidence to prove why it happened.’
The four men launched an organised attack on Aurman, deciding to murder the DPD driver in daylight while he was delivering parcels on Berwick Avenue in Coton Hill.
A court heard how the men were tipped off to Aurman’s delivery route by ‘inside man’, Sukhmandeep Singh, who gave detailed information on his schedule.
The gang of four lay in wait before launching a violent attack which police said showed they ‘intended to kill’ the 23-year-old DPD driver.
After attacking Aurman with an array of weapons, the men fled the scene in a white Mercedes and a grey Audi before dumping weapons in a nearby street.
The grey Audi was later stopped and Arshdeep Singh, Jagdeep Singh, Shivdeep Singh, and Manjot Singh were arrested.
CCTV played to jurors showed the Audi and Mercedes ‘waiting’ at 12.06pm on August 21.
The court heard how the DPD van drove along that same street just after 1pm, with both cars following it as it travelled up Berwick Avenue.
Footage showed unsuspecting Aurman on his phone in the front passenger seat of the parked van as his colleague made a delivery.
Cameras in nearby Round Hill Green showed Aurman’s colleague running from the scene at 13.05pm.
The armed thugs were seen running back to the Audi and Mercedes, with both vehicles fleeing ‘at speed’ just one minute later.
As the mob left the murder spot, Aurman’s ‘hesitant’ colleague ducked behind a black vehicle as he tried to make his way back to the DPD van.
Speaking following the trial, Aurman’s family, said: ‘There are no words that could ever explain the impact this tragedy has had on me and my family.
‘Today a mother will grow old without her son. A sister will grow up without her brother. We don’t want what has happened to us to happen to another family.
‘It is an unbearable loss for us which has changed our lives. My daughter and myself will be living our lives for the sake of it but our happiness and the will to live is not there.
‘We would like to thank the police for conducting their investigation diligently and supporting us through this tough time.’
Detective Chief Inspector Mark Bellamy of West Mercia Police said: ‘The attack on Aurman Singh was planned and organised by a group of men who armed themselves with weapons and used a level of violence that can only suggest they intended to kill him.
‘They used inside information to pick a location where they knew he would be and lay in wait before carrying out the brutal attack in broad daylight.’
DCI Bellamy added: ‘We are incredibly grateful for the support from local residents and those who provided vital information to assist with our investigation and gave evidence in court.
‘Today’s verdict should send a strong message to those who think they can come into our towns and cities to commit violent crime that we will not stop in our efforts to find them and put them before the courts.
‘This was a complex investigation which saw us work with police forces across the country and I’d like to thank the investigation team and those involved for their hard work and commitment.’