Court appeal by would-be killer from Stratford rejected by judges

A would-be killer from Stratford, intent on executing a restaurant owner, has failed to convince top judges his trial jury was contaminated.

Mohammed Abul Khair Ali travelled with his uncle to Newton Abbot, Devon, where they launched a near-fatal attack on Nasim Ahmed.

Ali, 41, from Rokeby Street, was jailed for 27 years at Exeter Crown Court in August last year after being found guilty of attempted murder.

His uncle, Roger Khan, 59, of Eltham, south London, received 30 years - a stiffer sentence on account of his bad criminal record - after he too was convicted of attempted murder.

The court heard how the pair ambushed Mr Ahmed outside his home with a metal pole and a knife leaving him with a fractured skull, wounds to his face and severe blood loss.

Ali yesterday (Dec 11) launched a bid to overturn the jury’s verdict at London’s Criminal Appeal Court with lawyers arguing his conviction was ‘unsafe’ - because one of the jurors had eaten in the victim’s restaurant.

But top judges threw out his appeal, arguing the conviction was ‘wholly safe’ as the juror in question had been discharged. The court also rejected an appeal against his sentence being too excessive.