"a well-planned, well-coordinated, deliberate, targeted attack"
Shazeb Khalid was convicted of murder for mowing down a restaurant manager with a stolen Range Rover on Valentine’s Day 2024.
The 24-year-old had targeted Vignesh Raman, the manager of the Vel Indian restaurant in Reading town centre, as part of a “mission” to stop him from reporting alleged immigration infractions at the restaurant.
Vignesh was cycling home after Valentine’s Day dinner service when he was knocked off his bike by a Range Rover.
As he lay injured on the ground, he was attacked by the driver.
Vignesh was found at around 11:50 pm. He was later declared deceased at the Royal Berkshire Hospital and a murder investigation was launched.
A post-mortem examination ascertained that Vignesh had died as a result of a head injury.
Khalid was arrested on February 19 and charged the following day.
Soiheem Hussain was arrested on February 28 while Khalid’s then-girlfriend Mya Reilly was arrested on February 21.
During the trial opening, prosecutor Sally Howes said:
“The fatal collision between the vehicle, which turned out to be a Range Rover Evoque, and Vignesh Raman on his bicycle, was not an unfortunate accident.
“This was a well-planned, well-coordinated, deliberate, targeted attack in which Shazeb Khalid and Soiheem Hussain both played a part and both are guilty of the murder of Vignesh Raman.”
In the weeks leading up to his death, Vignesh handed in his notice after he was offered a new role at the Hyatt Regency luxury restaurant and hotel in London.
The police investigation revealed that just a few hours before the restaurant manager’s death, Khalid texted Reilly:
“I got a mission later.”
Khalid, who drove the Range Rover, said he only ever intended to “scare off” Vignesh after the restaurant he managed had been fined £30,000 for employing illegal immigrants.
Khalid was found guilty of murder.
Hussain was found not guilty of murder but was found guilty of assisting an offender.
Reilly was accused of having provided Khalid with a “safe house” for him to stay after the murder.
But the 20-year-old, who is pregnant with their first child, was cleared of one count of perverting the course of justice.
At Reading Crown Court, Judge Amjad Nawaz said:
“Mr Khalid, there is only one sentence in law that I can pass for murder and that is a life sentence.”
Khalid and Hussain will be sentenced on October 10, 2024.
Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector Stuart Brangwin, said:
“I am glad that the jury has found Khalid guilty of murder and Hussain guilty of assisting an offender.
“It was obviously clear to the jury that Khalid intended to cause Vignesh harm that evening.
“He used the stolen Range Rover he was driving as a weapon and left him to suffer knowing that he had hit him.
“The communication between Khalid and Hussain throughout the evening of Vignesh’s death showed that Hussain was very much aware of what happened and that he assisted in the aftermath.
“The death of Vignesh has left his family devastated, and I hope this verdict will help them in some way.”
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