Bristol man jailed for life for stabbing 'kind and bubbly' man
Shakawan Siddiqi was found guilty of murdering Kunta Ceesay in April after a two-week trial.It is not known whether the two men knew each other but there could have been a dispute between them over a small amount of money, the jury was told.
The court heard Mr Ceesay visited Stapleton Road on the night he was killed and CCTV showed him picking up a bike belonging to Siddiqi which had been left outside a Post Office.A fight broke out between the pair shortly after and within about 30 seconds Mr Ceesay had been fatally stabbed.Siddiqi disposed of the knife and changed his clothing but he was arrested by police the following day.He told officers there had been a fight but he denied stabbing Mr Ceesay.
"It is so sad for the family that Kunta was taken from us far too soon and he has been robbed of the chance to grow old, create his own family and reach his dreams," Mr Ceesay's family said in a statement."It's difficult to comprehend the senseless way that Kunta has lost his life and how difficult it will be for all of us to have to live without him."Whilst our hearts and lives will never be the same we, the family of Kunta, trusted the justice system and the jurors to make the right decision in this case. "Kunta's life meant something and we hope that this will serve as a reminder for people to be cautious [and] lead with kindness and love in their lives."
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The Independent
17 minutes ago
- The Independent
‘Evil' man jailed for at least 28 years for murder of ex-fiancee at luxury hotel
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Daily Mail
18 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Uncle who ordered honour killing of his niece, 20, loses legal fight over ITV programmes he says made him look bad
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But a judge has now ruled in ITV's favour, finding today that Mahmod's High Court claims had 'no basis' and 'no realistic prospect of success'. Two ITV programmes - a 2012 documentary and a 2020 drama (pictured) - about the young woman's murder and rape by her three killers have since been released It came after the broadcaster's lawyers had asked Mr Justice Murray to rule in its favour before the trial, claiming Mahmod had not been defamed. The judge said: 'The claimant appears to believe that he can use this defamation claim as a vehicle to challenge the allegation in the documentary and the drama that Banaz Mahmod was raped. 'That, of course, is wrong.' An 'honour' killing is a culturally sanctioned practice most commonly associated with the Middle East, northwest Africa and the Indian subcontinent and their diasporas. It sees people - mainly women - killed by relatives as a so-called 'punishment' for somehow bringing 'shame' on the family. In a 15-page ruling, Mr Justice Murray said Ms Mahmod, an Iraqi Kurd, had gone missing three months before her body was discovered. She was found to have been strangled with a shoelace. It came as her family's so-called 'punishment' for Ms Mahmod leaving her sexually and physically abusive arranged marriage and falling in love with someone else. A documentary called Banaz: An Honour Killing was broadcast in October 2012, followed by a two-part drama Honour in September 2020. The latter stars award-winning actress Keeley Hawes as lead investigator DCI Caroline Goode. Both ITV programmes produced about the violent murder said the young woman was 'brutally raped' by her killers. Mahmod claimed when suing the broadcaster in 2023 this implied he 'must either have also ordered her rape or must otherwise have been complicit in its occurrence'. He said this had led to 'negative consequences' for him, his family and his businesses because 'under Kurdish cultural norms, murder and rape are viewed differently'. Appearing via video link from HMP Whitemoor in Cambridgeshire, he told the High Court he had been attacked in prison and his family had been subject to reprisals. Mahmod explained rape was 'absolute taboo' among Kurdish people. But 'by contrast', he said, 'murder, though reprehensible and deplorable, is seen as comprehensible because given the right chain of circumstance, anyone might commit such crime, one way or another'. He also described himself in court documents as a 'very well-known businessman with [a] high reputation in [the] UK'. Mahmod claimed his reputation had been damaged by the broadcasts. He also said they had caused 'serious harm on his health, life, freedom, daily life, mental, moral future, progression and constant fear to his life and confidence'. 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In the months leading up to her disappearance, Banaz reported to police five times that her family wanted her dead, but no action was taken. She was deemed to have brought 'shame' on the family with her father and uncle hatching a plan to have her killed in the most savage way possible. They did so to restore their 'honour' and 'reputation' within the community. After Ms Mahmod's body was discovered, her father, uncle and other relatives and family associates were charged with her murder or for conspiring in it. In 2007, after a three-month trial at the Old Bailey, her father Mahmod Mahmod was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life with a minimum of 20 years in prison. Her uncle was also found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in jail with at least 23 years behind bars. Her cousin Mohamad Hama also admitted murder and was ordered to serve at least 17 years in prison. Three years later, her cousins Omar Hussain and Mohamad Saleh Ali, who helped carry out the killing, were extradited from Iraq. They were found guilty of murder and handed life sentences of 22 years and 21 years respectively.
Daily Mail
18 minutes ago
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Beds where Idaho murder victims died and creepy handprints on window seen for first time after Bryan Kohberger sentencing
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Another image, captured from a doorway, shows a typical student room with shoes and clothes strewn around on the wooden floor. The photo shows no clue to the horrific scene further inside the room. The sliding door to the kitchen on the second floor of the home is seen ajar in another photo - the way Kohberger left it after he both entered and exited the house through the back entrance. More than 200 distressing images, obtained by KTVB7 from Moscow Police, were released weeks after the 30-year-old mass killer was sentenced to a lifetime behind bars. The criminology PhD student broke into 1122 King Road in Moscow, Idaho, in the early hours of November 13, 2022, and stabbed the four students to death. Kernodle, who was still awake having just received a DoorDash order - suffered more than 50 stab wounds, including two to the heart and multiple defensive wounds. Chapin died from a stab wound to the jugular and his legs had also been slashed. Goncalves was stabbed more than 20 times and her face was 'unrecognizable' after Kohberger beat her with a second unidentified weapon. Mogen had stab wounds to her forearm, hands, liver and lung as well as a huge gash from her right eye to her nose. Two other roommates - Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke - were also inside the home at the time but survived. The net closed in on Kohberger after he left a brown leather Ka-Bar knife sheath behind at the scene. DNA on the sheath came back a match to the criminology student, who was living just over the state border in Pullman, Washington, at the time. Kohberger fought the charges for more than two years before he finally confessed to the murders and changed his plea to guilty last month, as part of a plea deal to spare him from the death penalty. On July 2, he pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary. On July 23, he was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole and also waived his right to appeal. Since the sentencing, a sweeping gag order in the case has been lifted and police have begun releasing records and documents from the investigation. As well as the crime scene photos, surveillance footage has also been released showing Kohberger's white Hyundai Elantra circling the victims' home multiple times on the night of the murders. The video, first reported by the Idaho Statesman, shows Kohberger staking out the scene and making three loops around the student neighborhood from around 3.30am onwards. At around 4am, Kohberger then parked his car and broke into 1122 King Road. Police said Kohberger took just 13 minutes to carry out his murderous rampage. At around 4.17am, the video - captured by a neighboring home's security camera close to Kernodle's bedroom wall - picks up what sounds like a cry and a loud thud. A dog - believed to be Goncalves' pet Murphy - is then heard barking. At 4.20am, Kohberger's car is seen a final time in the footage speeding away from the area. The footage also captured a DoorDash delivery driver dropping off a food order for Kernodle minutes before the killer struck. Despite Kohberger's change of plea and a growing body of evidence coming to light, many questions still remain in the case. When given the opportunity to speak at his sentencing in Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho, Kohberger refused to reveal any details about the murders - leaving the victims' families in the dark. His motive remains a mystery and no connection has ever been found between him and the victims. A 3D model (created by the prosecution team to be used at his trial) shows the layout of the rooms Police have said Kohberger targeted 1122 King Road that night but it is unclear which of the victims was his specific target. Cell phone data found Kohberger was surveilling the student area in the lead-up to the murders. From July 2022 through to November 13, 2022, his phone placed him in the vicinity of the King Road home at least 23 times, mostly at night. The victims had also noticed a string of bizarre incidents at the home in the weeks before the murders. Around one month earlier, Goncalves had told multiple people she had seen a man watching her in the trees around the home when she took Murphy outside. Friends also recalled multiple occasions when, during parties at the home, Goncalves's dog would run barking into the tree line and wouldn't return when he was called. This was out of character for the dog, they said. On November 4, 2022 - just nine days before the murders - the roommates then came home to find the door to their three-story house open. It is unclear if Kohberger had broken into the home prior to November 13, but Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson said he believes it is possible. 'The layout of the house is unique - it's a little bit confusing,' the prosecutor told the Idaho Statesman. 'Admittedly, if he was parked up behind the house on that bank, which we believe is where he parked, he would be able to see into the house at night and he would be able to see whose rooms were where. 'Whether he was actually in the house at some point before November 13, we don't know for sure. We can't exclude that.' the Idaho Maximum Security Institution where he will see out his dying days.
