Asylum seeker who murdered customer inside Lloyds Bank in Derby jailed

An asylum seeker who “calmly” entered a bank without any provocation or justification and stabbed a man to death has been sentenced to life imprisonment.

Haybe Cabdıraxmaan Nur Stabbed 37-year-old Gurvinder Johal in the heart An assault caught on CCTV at a Lloyds Bank branch in St Peter’s Street, Derby, just after 14:30 on 6 May.

Mr Johal’s family said Nur, who Derby Crown Court heard came to England on a small boat after spending several years in Europe, was a “coward and evil” who stole the innocence of his three young children.

On Wednesday, Nur was sentenced to at least 25 years in prison.

The court stated that Nur, who came to England in October 2024, had previously been to Italy, France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

Sentencing Nur, Judge Shaun Smith said: “You killed [Mr Johal] in front of the public in broad daylight.

“What you did was to pick Mr Johal at random with a knife and stab him in the chest of a man you did not know. This was a cruel and callous act.

“This was a real-life horror movie for anyone connected to Mr. Johal and anyone who witnessed it.”

The court heard Nur’s asylum application was rejected by the Home Office in January 2025 and he was in the process of appealing the decision at the time of the murder.

Louis Mable KC, for the prosecution, read a victim impact statement written by Mr Johal’s sister on behalf of the family.

In it he said: “To us and to God he was just a good man, our Gurvinder, our light.

“This has not only changed our lives, it has shattered them… We are drowning in a silence so loud it hurts.

“This is a life sentence of pain… [in Nur]We see nothing but a coward and a devil.

“The person will never understand the pain and destruction he has caused – it is nothing.

“The light in our family has gone out… The deepest wound is the impact on the children, their innocence has been stolen.”

The statement continued, stating that Mr. Johal’s children said “a monster took their father.”

Mr Johal’s family have called for Nur to serve his sentence in the UK rather than be deported.

Nur had no previous criminal record in the UK but was arrested after an argument with a man in Derby on 13 December 2024.

The court heard Nur “ran into traffic”, head-butted a man and called British people “white racists”.

It was learned to the court that Nur, who was said to have consumed 3 bottles of vodka and 10 beers on the day of the murder, was in contact with a charity organization that helps immigrants.

Nur acted aggressively and threatened to take his own life and kill others during several searches that lasted from the morning hours until the afternoon.

The court stated that Nur felt that she was “living like an animal”, that she was not given support and that she was suffering from mental health problems.

“He was heard crying and was warned about his behavior,” Mr Mabil KC said.

He added: “Nur stood up and entered the bank. What happened inside was seen by many customers and bank staff and recorded on CCTV.

“He approached her, pulled out a knife and, without warning or provocation and without time to react, stabbed her forcefully in the chest.

“No one saw this stabbing until it happened and there was a moment of confusion as to what had happened.

“The defendant himself turned around and calmly walked out of the bank. The calmness of his exit was noticed by others in the bank, further adding to the confusion as to what had happened.”

Mr Johal collapsed to the ground with his knife still in his chest. Bank staff called 999. Despite efforts to resuscitate him, Mr Johal was pronounced dead at the scene at 3.16pm.

The court stated that Nur did not stay in the bank for more than 22 seconds.

Health officials reached Ali’s address after he came home just before 15:00, called the immigration helpline and threatened to take his life.

He told them that he was disappointed and that he had now sobered up and that he had no intention of taking his own life or harming people.

The court was told Nur was tracked down and arrested a few hours later after police found him sleeping on his bedroom floor.

While in custody, the court heard Nur was abusive in Somalia and said: “What can they take from me… What can you change about me… You can’t change anything about me… You can kill me normally… I did it on purpose.”

The court also heard that Nur had contacts with police forces across Europe.

In May 2023, he received a suspended prison sentence for theft in Italy and was arrested a month later for bicycle theft in Germany. Police in Berlin were called to a refugee center where Nur was threatening to commit suicide.

He later moved to the Netherlands, where three minor incidents of public disorder while drunk were reported to have occurred.

Nur also spent time in Luxembourg, committing eight crimes, including stealing alcohol. The court stated that Nur was too drunk to be questioned when he was arrested many times.

James Horne KC, mitigating, said Nur fled Somalia in 2016 after his wife was the victim of an honor killing and was diagnosed with complex post-traumatic stress disorder.

“He tried to take full responsibility despite having no memory,” he said.

The 47-year-old man had pleaded guilty to one count of murder at a previous hearing.