A 19-year-old man has been found guilty of murder following a trial at Leicester Crown Court and has been sentenced to life in prison, to serve a minimum of 13 years.
Omer Nur, of Chartley Road, Leicester, was involved in a fight with victim Usman Patel, 32, in Green Lane Road in Evington in the early hours of 18 July last year.
Usman was stabbed more than 20 times and Nur left the scene. Residents on Green Lane Road called for an ambulance, but Usman died of his injuries.
Forensic evidence linked Nur to the scene – a bottle of sports drink with his DNA was found near to Usman’s body.
Nur was charged with the murder of Usman on 22 July, after five days of intense investigative work.
Detective Chief Inspector Tony Yarwood from East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU) said: “Mr Patel had significant injuries as a result of the fight with Nur, with defensive wounds to his hands, too.
“This incident did not need to end with fatal injuries being inflicted; Mr Patel did not need to lose his life. So many lives have been ruined as a result of this incident, and shows yet again the damage that having a knife in a situation that escalates, can have. Do not carry a knife. Think!
“The team worked around the clock to piece together what had happened, working with lots of different teams across the force, including digital media experts, forensics, family liaison officers and local beat officers reassuring the residents.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank our counsel in this case too, Vanessa Marshall QC and David Matthew.
“While it won’t bring Usman back, I hope the verdict today is of some comfort to his family.”
Six others were arrested as part of the investigation.
A 34-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder was release with no further action. Two men, aged 24 and 28, and a 17-year-old youth were arrested on suspicion of murder and assisting an offender. They were all released with no further action in relation to the murder and are currently released under investigation in relation to the assisting an offender. A 23-year-old woman arrested of suspicion of assisting an offender was released under investigation, and a 28-year-old woman arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to rob is also released under investigation.
“He was always there for us”: The family of Usman Patel pay tribute
Usman was a loving son, brother, uncle and a father who was very close to his family and was loved by us all.
He would light up any room he walked into with his smile. He was kind hearted, caring and was always there for us.
Usman’s daughter was his world. Their father and daughter relationship and the memories they were creating would have continued to grow but this has now been taken away from them both.
Saturday 18 July 2021 is the day which is stamped in our hearts as the most painful day in our lives. Our hearts sank. We were shocked, heartbroken and in floods of tears.
As a family, we have been left traumatised from that day and live in pain thinking about how Usman died, what he would have gone through on that night and what exactly happened. We are left with questions that we do not have answers to and questions that we may never have answers to.
Life will never be the same for us. Usman’s death has broken us and not a single day goes by when we don’t think of him. We miss him every day. We loved him so much.
No one is innocent here, he was just worst off. Play the genes they do, and hang with the scum they do, this will happen.