Driver guilty of murder after Diwali hit-and-run

A man has been found guilty of murdering a father who was attacked with an iron rod, mowed down by a car, and then run over again when the car reversed.

Navpreet Singh, 26, had been celebrating the last day of the Festival of Diwali with friends at Wolverhampton's Phoenix Park in the early hours of 22 October last year, when a fight broke out with another group.

The violence was led by Prabhjot Singh, 18, West Midlands Police said, and after being attacked, Navpreet was deliberately run over by 21-year-old Jashan Singh.

On Monday at Wolverhampton Crown Court, Jashan Singh was found guilty of his murder, while Prabhjot Singh previously admitted violent disorder.

At around 01:00 BST, Navpreet's friend was attacked, and when he tried to come to his aid, the married man was struck to the ground with an iron rod by Prabhjot, police said.

After getting to his feet, the victim made his way to Jashan's car and kicked the front headlight, investigators found.

Jashan then knocked Navpreet down and drove over him with the front tyres before reversing back over him and making off in his Mercedes car.

Navpreet, who was due to become a father for a second time, died in hospital a short while later.

During the investigation, police found that Jashan had driven from the scene, off Dudley Road, to a secluded spot at an industrial estate in Willenhall.

There, he and another man, Mohit Singh, swapped their outfits to avoid their descriptions being matched before driving off.

Jashan then drove near airports in Coventry, Heathrow and Stansted during the day and switched SIM cards and phones to evade capture, but was arrested two days later in Bicester.

He initially told police he had driven off while Navpreet was still standing but later changed his story and claimed he was just a passenger in the car.

During the trial, he went on to admit that he was the driver but claimed to have accidentally reversed over Navpreet and left the scene unaware of what had happened.

Prabhjot was arrested from his home on 4 November last year while Mohit, who left the country following the murder, was detained at Birmingham Airport on his return to the UK in January.

Jashan Singh, of Cannock Road, Wolverhampton, was also found guilty of perverting the course of justice, as was 18-year-old Mohit Singh, 18, of Tangmere Road, Wolverhampton.

Prabhjot Singh, 18, of St Luke's Garden, Wolverhampton, pleaded guilty to violent disorder ahead of the trial.

All three are set to return to court to be sentenced on 30 November.

Det Sgt Rob Moir said: "Navpreet was a married man with a pregnant wife and not someone who was going out looking for trouble.

"Sadly, there was violence that evening with Mohit Singh, Prabhjot Singh and Jashan Singh the aggressors.

"Navpreet and his friends were attacked and, tragically, he was not only driven at but then reversed over leaving him with fatal injuries.

"Jashan Singh knew exactly what he was doing and was intent on causing serious harm. He then drove off and made efforts to avoid being identified and captured."

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