Attacked and Killed Parvaiz Iqbal
A 27-year-old man has been jailed for stabbing his boss to death and seriously injuring a colleague during a vicious knife attack at a shop in Rotherham.
After killing Parvaiz Iqbal, Naeem Mehmood fled the scene brandishing a large knife, damaging vehicles and smashing a shop window as he made his way through the town.
A large-scale police operation was mounted and Mehmood was swiftly arrested in the car park of a supermarket .
Mehmood, of Herringthorpe Valley Road, Rotherham, appeared at Sheffield Crown Court where he pleaded guilty to murder and grievous bodily harm with intent.
He was sentenced to life for the murder, with a minimum of 27 years, and 10 years for grievous bodily harm with intent. The sentences are to run concurrently.
Detective Superintendent Dave Barraclough, who led the murder investigation, said: “This was a brutal and shocking murder in which Mehmood launched a vicious and seemingly unprovoked attack on his boss and colleague.
“He then went running through the streets of Rotherham and the sight of him brandishing a large knife as he smashed cars and windows will have terrified scores of unsuspecting members of the public who witnessed it.”
The chain of events started to unravel at about 2pm on Tuesday 15 October last year when South Yorkshire Police began to receive a large number of calls about several incidents that appeared to be happening simultaneously in Eastwood.
One of the early calls reported that a 40-year-old man had been fatally stabbed in Bismillah food stores, in Grosvenor Road.
On arrival, officers discovered the body of Mr Iqbal, who owned the store, and another 40-year-old man who was fighting for his life after being stabbed.
Subsequent calls reported damage to a number of cars in and around Grosvenor Road and sightings of a man carrying a “machete” in Fitzwilliam Road, the town centre, Nottingham Street and Corporation Street.
Using information from the public, sightings of Mehmood on CCTV, and information from officers on the ground, Mehmood was arrested within 12 minutes of the first call being made to police.
Det Supt Barraclough added: “This was a large-scale and fast-paced incident which involved scores of officers whose robust and swift actions meant that Mehmood was quickly detained.
“I want to thank those people who came forward with information and helped police to trace Mehmood. The numerous forensic scenes that were established as part of the investigation also caused local disruption and I want to take this opportunity thank people for their tolerance.
“As the case has not gone to trial, the exact reasons why Mehmood chose to attack his boss and colleague in such a violent way remain unclear. He had only recently returned to work and the innocent victims in the case were simply going about their daily business when Mehmood launched his unprovoked attack.
“I hope that his guilty plea today will go some way to providing closure for Mr Iqbal’s family who are still grieving for the loss of their husband, brother, father and son. Mr Iqbal was a well-known member of the community and his death has touched many people.”
Chief Superintendent Jason Harwin, district commander for Rotherham, said: “This was a very public incident, but I want to reassure people that violence of this nature is rare in Rotherham.”
“Violent crime continues to fall in the district and, working closely with partners, we remain committed to ensuring Rotherham is safe place to live and work.”
