Three men who abducted and set alight a 15-year-old schoolboy in Glasgow have been jailed for life.
Kriss Donald, 15, from Pollokshields, was singled out and murdered because he was white, the high court in Edinburgh was told.
Gang members Imran Shahid, 29, his brother, Zeeshan, 28, and Mohammed Faisal Mushtaq, 27, who were all jailed for his murder, were described by the judge, Lord Uist, as “savage and barbaric” in sentencing the trio to 25, 22 and 23 years respectively.
The six-week trial had heard how the youngster was still alive when the men set him alight and had tried in vain to put out the flames by rolling around on the ground. He was found the following day curled up in a foetal position.
In sentencing, Lord Uist, said: “It was pre-meditated cold blooded execution, it truly was an abomination.
“The savage and barbaric nature of this crime has rightly shocked the public.
“Racially aggravated violence from whatever quarter will not be tolerated in Scotland.”
The court was told Mr Donald was singled out by Imran Shahid after he was attacked at a nightclub the night before by rival gang members ‘Boys from McCulloch’.
The following morning, Shahid, and four other men – Shahid’s brother Zeeshan, Daanish Zahid, Mohammed Faisal Mushtaq and Zahid Mohammed – stole a Mercedes car in a bid to
catch the “white bastard” who had attacked him the night before.
catch the “white bastard” who had attacked him the night before.
They came across Mr Donald, who while being a friend of the men sought had nothing to do with the attack on Shahid the night before, the court heard.
The five men jumped out of the stolen Mercedes and grabbed Mr Donald who was with his friend Jamie Wallace.
While Mr Wallace managed to escape from the gang, Mr Donald was not so lucky.
He was bundled into the car and taken on a 200-mile journey through via Motherwell and Dundee.
The trip eventually ended at Clyde Walkway where the 15-year-old was held down and stabbed 13 times before being set alight.
Experts at the trial told the packed courtroom there was strong evidence to suggest Mr Donald was still alive when he set alight and had attempted to put out the flames by rolling around on the ground.
After the killing the men drove the stolen Mercedes to a lane near Glasgow University and set it alight, the court heard.
But forensic evidence from the remains of the burnt out car linked the men to the gruesome murder.
The court heard traces of Mr Donald’s blood and one of his trainers were found in the car alongside Shahid’s leather jacket.
As news of the murder broke the men fled to Pakistan but it was more than a year before they were returned to Scotland to face trial for murder.
Daanish Zahid, 17, was sentenced to life imprisonment and ordered to serve a minimum of at least 17 years at an earlier trial, while Zahid Mohammed was sentenced to five years after pleading guilty to the abduction only.
Labour MP Mohamed Sarwar, who was pivotal in securing the return of the men, welcomed the verdict.
“Justice has been done”, he said. “Nothing can bring Kriss back to his family. But I hope now they can have the comfort to live their normal lives and try to put the past behind them.”
Mr Sarwar and Strathclyde Chief Constable Willie Rae are preparing to fly out to Pakistan to thank those who helped catch the guilty men.
