The five will be sentenced by the St. Albans Crown Court on September 26 (Representational)

London:

Five members of a gang, including two women, have been found guilty of the “honeytrap” murder of an Indian-origin man in the east of England.

Vishal Gohel, 44, was discovered unresponsive inside a flat in Bushey, Hertfordshire, in January and pronounced dead at the scene.

An autopsy showed he had suffered severe blows to his head.

According to the court reports in the UK media, a jury at St. Albans Crown Court on Friday was told that Mr Gohel was led to believe he would be having a sexual liaison but the gang had intented to rob his home. Hence a honeytrap was laid by the gang, the reports added.

Officers from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire (BCH) Major Crime Unit launched a murder investigation and made six arrests in the case.

“Our thoughts are with Vishal Gohel’s family and friends at this extremely difficult time. Specialist officers are supporting his family and I would ask for their privacy to be respected,” said Detective Inspector Justine Jenkins, who led the investigation earlier this year.

Mr Gohel was found with a tape on his face at his flat after a neighbour noticed that his front door was open and the lights in the kitchen were on. It emerged that Mr Gohel had been in contact with the suspects through Craigslist, a website offering goods and services.

Tevin Leslie, 23, was convicted of murder and he has already pleaded guilty to the conspiracy to rob.

Sakeen Gordon, 22, was convicted of murder and conspiracy to rob; Yarley Georgia Bruce-Annan, 22, was convicted of murder after earlier admitting to a conspiracy to rob; Brandon Browne, 22, was found not guilty of murder, but convicted of manslaughter and conspiracy to rob; and Faith Hoppie, 22, was found not guilty of murder, but convicted of manslaughter and conspiracy to rob.

All five will be sentenced at the St. Albans Crown Court on September 26.

A sixth suspect, Tiana Edwards Hancock, 20, was cleared of murder, manslaughter and conspiracy to rob.

Source link: https://www.ndtv.com/indians-abroad/five-found-guilty-of-indian-origin-mans-honeytrap-murder-in-uk-report-4212141