Jailed … from left Murphy, Uttley, Slavin and Hand

 
FOUR thugs were jailed today for the racially aggravated murder of an Asian taxi driver.

Christopher Murphy, 19, Michael Hand, 19, Graeme Slavin, 18, and Steven Utley, 17, were convicted of murdering Mohammad Parvaiz, 41.

At Leeds Crown Court, Murphy was told he must serve a minimum of 25 years in jail.

Hand must serve at least 21 years while Slavin and Utley were told they must serve a minimum of 17 years in jail.

Father-of-three Mr Parvaiz was ambushed and beaten to death as he responded to a fare in Huddersfield in July last year.

Trial judge Dame Heather Steel said it was a joint attack in which they all took part, but Hand and Murphy were the ringleaders - whereas Utley and Slavin played a lesser part.

She said: "Mr Parvaiz sustained a serious head wound from which he was bleeding profusely when he was attacked from the driver’s side and dragged out to be kicked and beaten to death.

"Violence on this scale is savage beyond belief. It is not difficult to imagine the terror that Mr Parvaiz must have experienced as he lay dying on the road."

The judge said there were a number of aggravating features including racial abuse, theft, the fact Mr Parvaiz was a public servant and the planning involved in his murder.