Khuram Shaikh death: Sri Lankan politician murder trial starts

Khuram Shaikh

The trial has started of a Sri Lankan politician charged with murdering Rochdale Red Cross worker Khuram Shaikh.

Sampath Vidanapathirana, a town council leader, and five other men have appeared in the High Court in Colombo, accused of murdering Khuram.

Khuram, 32, from Milnrow, was shot and stabbed to death at a hotel in Sri Lanka on Christmas Day in 2011.

He had been working in Gaza fitting prosthetic limbs, but was on holiday in the resort of Tangalle and had been trying to break up a fight in a hotel bar when he was killed.

His Russian partner told the court the couple had been hoping for a "blissful" holiday.

Vidanapathirana was a town councillor in Tangalle, the beach resort town in southern Sri Lanka where Khuram was killed.

He is a member of the same political party as President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

For Rochdale’s MP Simon Danczuk, the trial is the culmination of a two-year campaign with Khuram’s family that has seen him travel to Sri Lanka to meet Sri Lankan ministers, raise the matter in Parliament and lobby the Prime Minister to raise Khuram’s case directly with the Sri Lankan President.

In a personal letter from David Cameron last year, the Prime Minister told Mr Danczuk that he'd raised Khuram’s case “very directly” when he met with President Rajapaksa at last November’s Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Colombo.

Speaking ahead of the trial, Simon Danczuk said everyone involved in the campaign had high hopes of justice being delivered.

“When we first went over to Sri Lanka people told us we had no chance of getting a trial but we all refused to accept this and have fought hard for over two years to bring the suspects to court. We’ve made sure Khuram’s case was pushed at the highest levels and we’ve had the support of the Prime Minister and Prince Charles. It’s been a long journey and one that’s been extremely difficult for Khuram’s family, as they understandably want answers. I know his father still goes to Khuram’s grave every day and we now want to see justice finally run its course.

“Khuram was held in very high regard all over the world and he worked selflessly to help people who had lost limbs from bombs, landmines and diseases in some of the most dangerous places imaginable. I have told Sri Lankan ministers that there is a lot of anger in the UK over his death and we will not rest until those that committed this terrible crime are behind bars.”

Khuram's brother Nasser is observing the trial. He said that it had taken much longer than he had hoped for the case to come to court but he was relieved that the day had now come.

“For over two years we’ve been waiting for a trial date and we’re pleased that finally the suspects are going to be held accountable in a Sri Lankan High Court,” he said. “The family hopes that no stone has been left unturned in the investigative and forensic process and that no political interference will prevent justice being delivered.”