In a tragic incident that occurred in June last year, a teenager has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for the killing of a man at a house party in Digbeth. Gurveer Bhandal, a 19-year-old resident of Giggety Lane in Wombourne, was found guilty of fatally stabbing 20-year-old Ashley Day.
Ashley, a talented young football player, had rented an apartment in Digbeth to celebrate his acceptance into a university degree course. He held a two-night party at Bradford Street, inviting his friends to join the festivities.
Unfortunately, the events took a tragic turn on the night of June 28th when a mutual friend invited Bhandal to the party. What started as an invitation ended in sorrow. In the early hours of June 29th, following noise complaints, Ashley began asking people to leave. It was during this time that Bhandal stabbed him three times in the chest and back as he fell to the floor.
After the incident, Bhandal fled the scene and disposed of the knife, which was later discovered at a nearby construction site. During the trial in November, Bhandal maintained his innocence, claiming that he acted in self-defense. Although he was acquitted of murder, he was found guilty of manslaughter.
At the time of his conviction, Ashley’s family issued a tribute to their “loving boy”. They said:
“Ashley will be remembered for his joyous smile that always lit up the rooms he entered.
“His kind, caring and compassionate nature was shown through his warm love for his family and friends. Ashley was happiness. His well-mannered, warm aura always made you feel at ease whenever you were around him.
“Farewell, beautiful Ashley, your stars go down to shine upon some further shore and you will be loved forevermore.”
Detective Chief Inspector Laura Harrison from our homicide team said: “Ashley was a well-liked, bright and popular young man who was very much looking forward to the future.
“He wanted to celebrate achieving his place at university by hosting a party with friends but what should have been a joyous occasion turned to tragedy. This has had a devastating effect on Ashley’s family but they have conducted themselves with respect and dignity throughout.
“Our thoughts remain with them as they continue to come to terms with their loss.”
