Three Punjab-origin brothers get life term for murder in UK
: Three Indian-origin brothers found guilty of stabbing to death a 22-year-old man in a dispute in London over a yearand-a-half ago have been sentenced to life imprisonment by a UK court.
Kamal Sohal, 23, Sukhminder Sohal, 25, and Michael Sohal, 28, were found guilty of the September 2019 murder of Osvaldo de Carvalho in the Acton area of west London following a trial at Croydon Crown Court in south London on February 16.
At the same court on Thursday, Kamal Sohal was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 22 years and Sukhminder and Michael Sohal were both sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 19 years before being considered for parole.
Antoine George, 24, a fourth man found guilty of manslaughter in the case, was sentenced to nine-year imprisonment.
“This is a particularly tragic case with Osvaldo’s family having to live with the pain of his loss. We know there had been previous hostility between these two groups and sadly that culminated in the events that unfolded that evening,” said Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) Vicky Tunstall, who led the investigation for the Metropolitan Police Specialist Crime South Command.
“The Sohal brothers had no qualms about arming themselves and – in Kamal’s case – running down a busy main road waving the weapon around in full view of all those around. They then subjected Osvaldo – who had no chance of defending himself – to a brutal and sustained attack. Osvaldo’s family, I hope, can find some comfort to their pain, knowing that his attackers have now been given lengthy prison sentences,” she said. During the trial, the court heard the convicted men and Osvaldo had been involved in an ongoing dispute when Sukhminder and Michael met Osvaldo and two of his friends on September 24, 2019. They went on to call their brother, Kamal, for support and reinforcement.
On receiving this call, Kamal grabbed a large hunting knife which he “brazenly brandished” as he ran along the Uxbridge Road in west London to the scene from his home nearby. George, who had also been in the house, went with Kamal to the scene of the dispute.
After his arrival and following a brief chase the three men in the victim’s group ran from the scene; the two friends heading one way, and Osvaldo running a different way.
Witnesses described him being chased by a group of men, some armed with knives. They caught up with Osvaldo, surrounded him and stabbed him, and then ran off leaving Osvaldo lying on the ground dying.