Sri Lanka: DEATH OF a HERO
As was his nature, Khuram stepped in to help...
khuram Shaikh, 32, was a good man.
After graduating with a degree in Orthotics and Prosthetics, the Rochdaleborn man worked all over the world using his vital skills.
Trained in the use of artificial devices, such as splints and braces as well as false limbs, he was helping those in greatest need.
Sandy beaches
In 2011, Khuram spent months in the war-torn Gaza Strip with the Red Cross, helping amputees, before setting off with his girlfriend on a break to Tangalle, Sri Lanka.
They’d planned to celebrate Christmas and New Year there on the resort’s stunning, white-sand beaches.
But, in the early hours of Christmas morning, a fight broke out while revellers celebrated in the hotel’s bar.
As was his nature, Khuram stepped in to help.
The man who was being set upon – a hotel worker – escaped. But the 10-strong gang then turned their attention to Khuram and his girlfriend.
Outnumbered, Khuram was beaten, stabbed over 40 times with broken bottles and slashed across the face and neck, before being shot in the head and killed.
Khuram’s girlfriend was also attacked, but lived.
After lengthy delays in the Sri Lankan justice system, four men, including prominent local politician Sampath Vidanapathirana, were found guilty of multiple charges, including culpable homicide and attempted murder. They were jailed for 20 years, and have indicated that they will appeal.
A UK inquest in April returned a verdict of unlawful killing, with the coroner attacking Sri Lankan authorities for their lack of co-operation – all of which only added to the Shaikh family’s pain.
Giving evidence at the inquest, Khuram’s brother Nasir said, ‘It is not just our family that have suffered from Khuram’s death, but also the organisations that he worked for, the people he helped, and the people he would have helped in the future. ‘All that has been taken away.’