• Source:JND
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Months after 36-year-old Indian restaurant manager Vignesh Pattabhiraman was murdered in Reading, UK, Shazeb Khalid, a 26-year-old man of Pakistani origin, has been found guilty of the crime.

On Valentine’s Day this year, Pattabhiraman was hit by a stolen Range Rover driven by Khalid while he was cycling home from work. Khalid was arrested shortly afterward and found guilty after a 28-day trial. 

During the trial, additional suspects Soiheem Hussain and Mya Reilly were also charged; Hussain was convicted of aiding an offender, while Reilly was acquitted. The murder profoundly affected Pattabhiraman's family and garnered substantial community support through a charitable initiative.

Vignesh Pattabi Raman was tragically pronounced dead at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, prompting the launch of a murder investigation. 

A post-mortem examination revealed that Pattabi Raman's death was caused by a head injury. Khalid was arrested on February 19 and charged the next day. Hussain was taken into custody on February 28 and charged on February 29, while Reilly was arrested on February 21 and charged on May 28. Khalid and Hussain are scheduled to be sentenced on October 10.

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector Stuart Brangwin, said: “I am glad that the jury has found Khalid guilty of murder and Hussain guilty of assisting an offender.

“It was obviously clear to the jury that Khalid intended to cause Vignesh harm that evening. He used the stolen Range Rover he was driving as a weapon and left him to suffer knowing that he had hit him.

“The communication between Khalid and Hussain throughout the evening of Vignesh’s death showed that Hussain was very much aware of what happened and that he assisted in the aftermath,” he added. 

A Just Giving charity campaign created online by Pattabhiraman's friends and family to cover repatriation expenses and support his grieving wife, Ramya, following the senseless tragedy, has raised over £52,500 (Rs 5,250,000).