Murder accused 'thought he was going to a party'

DPD driver Aurman Singh who lived in Smethwick was based at a depot in Stoke-on-Trent and was attacked in Shrewsbury

The trial of five men accused of murdering a DPD driver has heard how one of those accused thought he was going to a birthday party rather than participating in a plot to kill a man.

Jagdeep Singh was being cross-examined on Thursday, during the trial at Stafford Crown Court which is expected to last six weeks.

Aurman Singh, a 23-year-old delivery driver, was savagely beaten in an attack in Shrewsbury which fractured his skull and left his brain visible.

All five of the accused men - Arshdeep Singh, 24 of Tipton, Dudley; Jagdeep Singh, 23, of Dudley; Shivdeep Singh, 27, of Smethwick; Manjot Singh, 24, of Smethwick; and Sukhmandeep Singh, 24, of Peterborough - deny murder.

Prosecutors said eight men travelled in two cars - a black Audi and a white Mercedes - to Berwick Avenue in Shrewsbury, where the attack took place.

They were directed by a ninth man - Sukhmandeep Singh - from a DPD depot in Stoke-on-Trent, prosecutors have told the court.

Of the men said to have been in the two cars, four are on trial accused of murdering Aurman Singh, while four others have so far evaded police.

Giving evidence, Jagdeep Singh confirmed he had travelled to Berwick Avenue, and told the court he had only met the men in the Mercedes on the day Aurman Singh was killed.

'Leave him alone'

He was taken through doorbell video footage from the day, gathered by police, and was asked about his recollection of events.

He said he thought he had been invited to attend a birthday celebration, and did not realise how events would unfold.

Police later discovered a video he filmed on his phone, which prosecutors said showed him bragging about the murder.

Mr Singh, who arrived on Berwick Avenue in the back of the black Audi, said he was forced to make the video, out of fear for what the men in the white Mercedes might do to his family.

He said he and Manjot Singh had wrested an axe and a wooden stave from the attackers.

Jagdeep Singh said Manjot Singh had shouted: “Leave him alone you have beaten him enough,” to those who were beating Aurman Singh.

When he got back to the Audi he saw the axe was stained with blood, he said.

He went on to tell the court that he hadn’t made more effort to report what had happened to police because some of the others involved had threatened his family.

“It was their plan to get us trapped,” he said.

“They did not listen to what we were saying and they were quite angry and wanted us to make a video.”

'They threatened us'

He said he was told to direct Punjabi swear words about the victim and brag about “opening up the head” of Aurman Singh in the video.

“They threatened us, they asked us to show where we are from in India, they said now we know where you live back home.

“They also said we should not speak about this incident.”

In court, he declined to identify the other voices from the video, which he claimed was to avoid misidentifying the wrong person before the jury.

Mr Dennison, prosecuting, said the video was essentially the men gloating about the murder they had just committed.

He also asked Mr Singh why he had not spoken during a police interview.

“The truth is you didn’t tell police then what you’ve told this jury now because you’ve made it up since those interviews.

“You’ve made it up since you saw all the prosecution evidence and you’re giving an untrue account to try to get yourself out of the trouble you are in.”

Mr Singh replied: “What I have told, it is true.”

He added: “From the very first day I have told the truth to my solicitor.”

The trial continues.