Poundland employee jailed for life for murdering colleague

A 27-year-old has been jailed for life for murdering his colleague in the mistaken belief that he was having an affair with his wife.

Nadeem Uddin Hameed Mohammed, a 24-year-old man from Hyderabad, was lured to an underground car park of a supermarket by Aqib Pervaiz, who had purchased a large kitchen knife from the store in Slough, near London, minutes before.

Pervaiz, believed to be a dual Pakistani and UK national, was on friendly terms with Mohammed but had become convinced his colleague from a Poundland supermarket store was in a relationship with his wife, Saima Munir, despite attempts to convince him otherwise.

"You believed quite wrongly and without any foundation at all that your wife had formed a relationship with Mr Mohammed, despite the efforts of your wife, other family members and Mr Mohammed to convince you your suspicions were all in your mind," Judge Heather Norton told Pervaiz during sentencing at Reading Crown Court this week.

Mohammed's wife, Afsha, who was eight months pregnant at the time of the murder in May, has returned to India with their baby daughter he never got to meet, the court was told.

In a statement, Mohammed's family said: “He was brutally and unfairly taken from the world, when he was giving so much and had a big future.

"It is impossible to explain how deep and profound his loss is to the whole family; his wife, his new born child, his father, the wider family and beyond. None of us can imagine a life with him gone and he will never be forgotten. May God give us strength and Nadeem peace.”

The court was shown CCTV of Pervaiz attacking Mohammed from behind, using the 20cm (8in) kitchen knife to deliver a single fatal blow to his chest. Mohammed, based in the Southall suburb of south-west London, later died in hospital.

Pervaiz was ordered to serve a minimum of 22 years imprisonment before being considered for parole. He was also sentenced to 18 months in prison for possession of a bladed article, which will run concurrently with his life sentence.

Senior investigating officer, Detective Chief Inspector Andy Shearwood of Thames Valley Police’s Major Crime Unit, said: “This was a horrific incident, which occurred in daylight hours in front of members of the public. Pervaiz’s actions on that day were despicable.

"Without warning he brutally stabbed Nadeem in a very public place, in front of people going about their normal daily routines and his actions cost Nadeem his life.”

He praised Mohammed’s India-based family for their “dignity and bravery” throughout the incredibly stressful and tragic time.

He added: “Pervaiz admitted his guilt due to the substantial amount of evidence against him, and I am pleased that Nadeem’s family have been spared from a trial in court.

“Pervaiz will now serve a life sentence for murder, while it cannot bring Nadeem back, I hope it offers some form of closure for his family and it can help them to move on.”

Mohammed had married Afsha less than a year ago in India and she had joined him in Britain only a month before the murder in May this year.

The Poundland store where Mohammed worked as an assistant manager issued a statement expressing "shock and upset" at the murder.