Thornton Heath muggers jailed for nine years after killing man
by Gareth Davies
gareth.davies@essnmedia.co.uk
Three muggers who killed a man for his Blackberry phone were each jailed for nine years today (Friday).
The thugs targeted 24 year-old garage worker Saravanakumar Sellappan after spotting him walking down a Thornton Heath street talking on his mobile.
Surveillance cameras captured refugees Jegir Ahmmadi, 20, Roshan Samedov, 18, and Awat Muradi, 18, following the victim into Brigstock Road, on October 17 last year.
Moments later, outside the range of CCTV, they knocked him to the floor and ran off with the phone which they later sold for £60 and a chicken takeaway in Brigstock Road, Thornton Heath.
Samedov also put the SIM card in his own phone and used it to make a five-minute call to the Party Girl sex line.
Mr Sellappan staggered home but had no idea he had suffered a fractured skull and brain damage. He died two days later in hospital after falling into a coma.
Samedov, Muradi and Ahmmadi, who came to the UK from Armenia and Iran as children, were convicted of manslaughter and robbery after an Old Bailey trial.
Sentencing them, Judge Michael Mettyear said: "Mr Sellappan was a wholly innocent victim. His misfortune was to be using a Blackberry as he walked past you.
"The court saw how carefully the three of you followed him waiting for an opportunity to rob him. It looked like a well-oiled machine.
"The moment he stepped out of CCTV range he was attacked. The probability is the mere threat of force would have persuaded him to hand over the Blackberry. He wasn't given the chance.
"Which of you actually delivered the blow is still in dispute. It matters not, all of you were in this together.
The judge said the case was relevant to the current debate about the prevalence of CCTV cameras in Britain.
"The facts in this case include these three defendants would not have been successfully prosecuted without CCTV evidence.
"Indeed the probabilities are they would not have even been identified. In my view had CCTV range covered the whole of Mr Sellappan's journey home it is highly likely he would not have been attacked at all.
Ahmmadi, an Iranian, of Morland Road, Woodside, Armenian Samedov, of Greenside Road, Croydon, and Iranian Muradi, of Sutherland Road, Croydon, all denied murder, manslaughter and robbery.
They were cleared of murder by an Old Bailey jury.
All three now face deportation from the UK.
16 Comments
View all
by Anon, Anon
Thursday, May 27 2010, 2:07PM
“Hello James, or should I say Charlotte Lewis?”
by oh deary me, At home
Monday, May 24 2010, 11:55PM
“This is no way to publish your book and here James...blimey that was long..wheres my cuppa!.”
by Hector Obugo, London
Monday, May 24 2010, 1:58PM
“James why you telling them you ruin it for everyone else fool, we need village idiot like Paul now stop, good many people will not read your post”
by Anon, Anon
Monday, May 24 2010, 12:36PM
“Now Paul is that really necessary? everyone is entitled to their opinion , just because its different to yours doesn't make him what you just called him. nah nah nah nah nah :)”
by Paul Meoff, Purley
Monday, May 24 2010, 11:40AM
“racist”
by James, Fulham
Monday, May 24 2010, 10:07AM
“Land in your country as a illegal national then I will have your full legal system at my mercy based on legal aid and my entilement to benefits over and above you, in my home country we have training on how to use your system which is paroniod against any question of racism against me, should you slip up from arrest to conviction and prison then I will sue you using your own money and my religion will be bourne out as further rights, your police barrister's and judges will panda around me showing pity and mercy no matter my crime because I am foreign, should you be white national then should your crime be against me as a foreign national then you can expect little mercy, your police will question you on why you picked on me but i will not have the same line of questioning if I commited a crime against you, the Jury will be from middle to upper class because they are more lightly to be on the electoral role and have never commited any crime, one third of the Jury will be of foreign backgrounds so you have little chance based on being a low class white national. everyone in your legal system is making a bundle of money to protect me over and above you since I am a cash cow in respect of legal aid, why do I want to jump on a lorry from anywhere else in europe esp France to get to your country when many of you dream of living in France, well it is quite simple, I get no legal aid rights in France yes they have the same human rights but I would have to fund my own legal fight which is impossible, your law Lords make the laws to ensure everyone on the gravy boat earns the cash from legal aid, I can quite simply get away with murder and my sentence in any case will be a joke compared to my own country and your prison in comparison a hotel with guards buzying to any religious or race need I have, one of the most favourite video's in my home country is the one of the UK Border force where a man of his early 30s claims to be only 15 they panic and place him in child care where he gets bundle of benefits for some 18 months before melting back into your counrty with several different id's one being his care worker, having being caught and charged with multiple fraud he claims a poor background and death back home, he gains rights to remain and a suspended sentence, I love your country for this reason ££££ and your legal system loves me for ££££, I am a foreign national so you cannot call me racist and the above is a fact, these youth's have been in your country since 2007 they have quite simply got away with murder to find them quilty you only had to prove an intention of serious harm resulting in death whilst commiting another crime being robbery, however in mitigation I have had a troubled poor foreign life and did not understand my actions because you are ashamed of your history, show me therefore mercy Jury, one third of you will be on my side be relating to my plite, not guilty thank you, see you in 4.5 years where in the meantime I will gain my education and become an expert in milking you system further for ££££”
by James, Fulham
Monday, May 24 2010, 8:39AM
“Paul - A bigot (in modern usage) is a prejudiced person who is intolerant of any opinions differing from their own or intolerant of people of different ethnicity, race, or class. So in your statement you are intolerant of my opinion! furthermore to confuse your life of denial to the facts using the racist card I am Nigerian which in the financial world means high risk of fraud based on case facts, I accept that is a problem from my nation, moving onto facts I was asked to study results and sentencing for foreign nationals in comparison to British White Citizens, however the results bar Scotland were stunning in difference, quite clearly the system to prove it is not racist has turned completely on its head compared to the 1980s, Greater London is stunning you can expect a higher chance of conviction and 25% higher sentence if you are white British, since the report was for race relations it was placed pending on the back burner, the UK is suffering from a class war Chav Boy to Public School Boy, Council house to detached Purley house, Iceland bags compared to John Lewis bags and people like you are at the heart of denial and do not understand the full meaning of bigot, Gordon Brown used it recently against a council tenant against her view of foreign workers which is a another fact. Paul you have been brain washed, now wake up and stop living in denial, have a nice day in Purley and stay away from the peasants in Thornton Heath, just pretend you do not notice the difference look straight ahead darling no eye contact, snob or idiot!”
by Paul.Meoff, Purley
Sunday, May 23 2010, 1:31PM
“@ James.
now I realise from your post you are nothing but a small minded bigot peddling a racist agenda.
However there is a world of difference between murder, which the case you highlighted involved, and manslaughter which these lads were convicted of.
The workings of the judicial system have little, in this case,to do with race.
Where are these supposed "facts" you mention. Where is your evidence base for trotting out tired racist rhetoric.
It is tragic that a man dies and that all you care to comment on is the colour of the perpetrators skin. Now that dear boy is a fact”
by Mr.Angry, The Estate
Friday, May 21 2010, 9:25PM
“The man was working in a filling station in Coulsdon and he always served me with a smile.The savages who did this should never come out of prison.”
by me, croydon
Friday, May 21 2010, 8:38PM
“Surely its no place to raise small children nowadays. I mean, can you really feel safe?”