CITY MAN GUILTY OF MURDER AFTER FATAL EXPLOSION
PETROL WAS USED TO FUEL BLAST AS TRIO ‘HOPED FOR £330,OOO PAYOUT’
A COVENTRY man has been found guilty of murder after five people were killed in a shop explosion in Leicester.
A jury yesterday returned a guilty verdict against Hawkar Hassan and his two codefendants after deliberating for just over 11 hours.
Hassan, of Eld Road, Foleshill, Aram Kurd and Arkan Ali were all found guilty of five counts of murder, as well as conspiracy to commit fraud. High Court judge Mr Justice Holgate remanded all three men in custody until sentencing in mid-January.
The five people were killed when a blast ripped through the Zabka store in Leicester earlier this year.
Those who died in the explosion on February 25 were Mary Ragoobeer, 46, along with sons Sean Ragoobeer, 17, Shane Ragoobeer, 18, and Shane’s girlfriend, Leah Beth Reek, 18 - who were in the two-storey flat above.
Ali’s girlfriend, Viktorija Ijevleva, 22, who was in the shop, also died.
During the trial at Leicester Crown Court, the jury heard that Hassan was used as a “getaway driver” on the fateful day and were also shown footage of the explosion, which happened at around 7pm.
While giving evidence, 33-year-old Hassan denied carrying petrol into the building – claiming Ali, 37, of Drake Close, Oldham, had asked him to fill it up.
And despite being captured on CCTV meeting with insurers in Oldham, Hassan told jurors he had “no interest” and “no involvement” in the discussions.
He told the jury Ali and Ms Ijevleva were taking out insurance on the Polish supermarket on Hinckley Road, but he was only at the meeting because he was visiting them.
The trio of killers lit 26 litres of petrol in the basement of the shop to benefit from a £330,000 pay-out. Hassan, Ali and Kurd intended to claim against an over-inflated insurance policy on the Polish supermarket on Hinckley Road, Leicester, after the devastating explosion.
Leicestershire Police said shopkeeper Kurd, who gave an account to the media after the blast, “probably felt there was a need” to tell his story in a deceitful bid to cover his tracks.
Speaking of the explosion itself, Detective Chief Inspector Michelle Keen, who led the investigation, said: “The evidence we have identified is that this was a significant amount of petrol – significant such that it caused that level of devastation and five people lost their lives.”
Describing the CCTV evidence, Ms Keen continued: “We know there were acts of planning – we don’t know whether they knew about the cameras. Certainly some cameras were moved in an attempt to avoid detection but we will never truly know what was in their mind as they haven’t told us.”
Asked about Kurd’s accounts to the media, Ms Keen said: “Clearly, at the outset, the devastation was such that it was unknown as to what the cause was.
“There were a number of possibilities – one of those was a criminal act, but in those early stages we really didn’t know what caused it.
“As part of that a number of people were spoken to, and certainly at the scene he (Kurd) was spoken to as a witness and obviously, at that time, he also gave an account to the media as well.”
Ms Keen added: “It was clearly deceitful and a bid to almost cover up what had actually gone on and what his knowledge and involvement was.”
Addressing why Kurd chose to speak to the media after the explosion, Ms Keen said: “There’s probably a curiosity as to where the investigation is going and what we know.
“Also, social media and the media is so much more high profile and available that he probably felt like there was a need to put some sort of account across in some way a portray their innocence at an early stage.”
Speaking of the motive behind the killings, Ms Keen said: “The motive would seem to be purely financial greed and personal gain.
“The intention was to claim against an over-inflated insurance policy for business interruption and contents.
“There was significant investment into the shop’s set-up and it is evident that it wasn’t as profitable as expected. This led to the subsequent fire and explosion.”
When asked about victim Viktorija Ijevleva’s involvement in the insurance claim, Ms Keen continued: “Of course, Viktoria sadly lost her life as a result of this incident so we are unable to understand exactly her full knowledge of what was to come.
“And, the fact is, she is unable to be complicit in her own murder.”
The motive would seem to be purely financial greed and personal gain. The intention was to claim against an over-inflated insurance policy. Det Insp Michelle Keen