'Laughing' murderer ploughed car into wedding party and killed 'Good Samaritan'
A 'laughing' driver who ploughed into the middle of a family wedding brawl killing a 'Good Samaritan' has been found guilty of murder.
Hassan Jhangur, 25, hit five people with his Seat Ibiza when he arrived at his sister's wedding reception, where a fight had broken out between the two families. Sheffield crown court heard Jhangur first drove into the groom's dad, who was standing in the street on the phone to the 999 operator, throwing him over the vehicle's bonnet.
He then crashed into a group of four people, including charity worker Chris Marriott, 46, who was out for a post-Christmas walk with his wife and two sons and had stopped to help. Mr Marriott was helping one of Jhangur's sisters as she was lying injured in the road.
Jurors heard devout Christian Mr Marriott was killed and three others were injured, including off-duty midwife Alison Norris and Jhangur's own mother and sister. The defendant then got out of the car and stabbed his new brother-in-law, Hasan Khan, several times.
The court heard he later told officers at the police station: "That's why you don't mess with the Jhangurs."
Giving evidence, Riasat Khan, Hasan Khan's dad, said he had been standing near his house when he heard a car "screeching" as it came around the corner.
"The car swerved at my youngest son Adam and missed him and gone for me," Mr Khan told the court. He said he remembered being thrown in the air.
"The car hit me and cracked my head open," he said. "I could hear (people) screaming and shouting 'he's being stabbed, someone's been stabbed, someone has been killed, someone is dead, someone's underneath the car'.
"I was in shock, my mind was everywhere." He said he then saw the defendant "waving a knife" and "smiling and laughing" across the road after the crash.
Jhangur, of Whiteways Road, Sheffield, denied the murder and manslaughter of Mr Marriott but pleaded guilty to causing Mr Marriott's death by dangerous driving.
But after 18 hours of deliberations, on Wednesday a jury found him guilty of the more serious offence of murder by a majority of 10 to two.
He was cleared of attempting to murder Hasan Khan, but guilty of wounding, and convicted of four charges of causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Alison Norris, Ambreen Jhangur, Nafeesa Jhangur and Riasat Khan.
His father, Mohammed Jhangur, 57, of Whiteways Road, Sheffield, was found guilty of perverting the course of justice after he concealed a knife.
The jury at a retrial found him guilty by a majority verdict following 18 hours of deliberations. A jury at a previous trial had failed to reach a verdict.
Prosecutor Jason Pitter KC told the jury the "public spirit" of Mr Marriott and Ms Norris "brought them unwittingly into the midst of a family dispute", which had spilled out into the street in the Burngreave area of Sheffield on December 27, 2023.
Mr Pitter said a wedding between Amaani Jhangur and Hasan Khan, which had taken place that morning, "appears to have been at the heart of the tension".
He told jurors an issue arose over the timing and location of the wedding and escalated to Amaani falling out with her own mother and sisters, and none of her family ultimately attended the wedding at the mosque.
The court heard that when Amaani was at the Khan family home in College Court later, her mother Ambreen Jhangur and sister Nafeesa Jhangur arrived, and an increasingly "unpleasant" argument in the street escalated into violence.
That violence led to the bride's sister Nafeesa being rendered unconscious. Mr Marriott, who was out with his family on a post-Christmas walk, saw Nafessa Jhangur lying in the road and decided, "fatefully", to see whether he could help, while his wife and children returned home.
Ms Norris, who was also out walking with her partner and children, did the same thing.
In a statement after the verdict South Yorkshire Police said: "Hassan Jhangur, 25, and Mohammed Jhangur, 57, both of Whiteways Road, Sheffield, have been on trial following the death of 46-year-old father Chris Marriott and the serious injury of five others at College Close in Sheffield on 27 December 2023.
"Hassan Jhangur deliberately drove his Seat Ibiza car into a group of people in College Close before stabbing another man nearby at the scene with a knife.
"Following a trial lasting almost five weeks, a jury has today (Wednesday 9 July) found Hassan Jhangur guilty of one count of murder and five counts of causing grievous bodily harm. He was found not guilty of attempted murder.
"Mohammed Jhangur was found guilty of one count of perverting the course of public justice. He was seen hiding a knife in the boot of his car at College Close, moments after his son had used it to stab another man."
Detective Chief Inspector Andy Knowles, Senior Investigating Officer on this case, said: 'We are extremely pleased that justice has finally been secured for Chris Marriott and his family.
'This has been a complex investigation and I'd like to pay tribute to our teams who have worked so hard to achieve this result.
'Our thoughts today, as ever, remain with Chris' family and all who knew him. His loved ones have shown the utmost dignity throughout both trials that have taken place, and have supported our investigation in every way possible.
'We will be issuing no further comment on this case until after the sentencing hearing has taken place.'
The pair will appear at the same court for sentencing at a later date. Mr Justice Morris told Jhangur he faces a life sentence.
The judge thanked those in the public gallery, including Mr Marriott's widow and her family, for the 'quiet dignity and courtesy you have shown throughout the trial'.
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