Chris Marriott: What we can all learn from Good Samaritan's selfless example and tragic death
The tragic case of a Good Samaritan from Sheffield began and ended with one sentence: “Chris was just trying to help.”
Those were the very first words prosecutors said when they opened the case against Hassan Jhangur, the man jurors this week convicted of Chris Marriott’s murder.
It was also the phrase on the lips of many across Sheffield - and the rest of the country - upon learning that someone’s act of kindness could end so tragically.
But, above all, it also speaks to the kind of man 46-year-old Chris was, and what we can all learn from his example.
‘Kind, generous and caring’ Chris
In the days following his death, Chris was described as ‘kind, generous and caring’ by staff at Sheffield College, the place where he worked for a decade before leaving to set up one of the city’s first food banks.
And it was those qualities that meant that Chris did not simply walk on when he saw a stranger - Jhangur’s sister, Nafeesa - lying in the road on College Close, Burngreave, as he enjoyed a post-Christmas family walk on the fateful day of December 27, 2023.
It was those qualities that meant Chris told his wife to take their children - who seemed distressed at the sight of the woman in the road - home, while he stayed behind to see if he could help in any way.
And it is those qualities that Alison Norris, another Good Samaritan injured by Jhangur when he drove his car into the crowd of people, is asking us to adopt in our own lives in tribute to Chris.
“I think the best tribute we can give him is to take responsibility for our own actions so that we don't hurt others when we are hurting and go on looking out for each other with kindness and generosity," said Alison, speaking through Thompsons Solicitors after the jury returned their verdicts yesterday (Wednesday, July 9, 2025).
She continued: “We were simply trying to help a woman in distress. It could have been any one of us who was hit. I grieve particularly for Chris' family, who are rebuilding their lives with courage and love, but will always feel the tremendous loss of a kind, generous, unique man.”
Killer’s deadly participation in family feud & the jury’s other verdicts
In outlining the Crown’s case against Jhangur, Jason Pitter KC suggested it was the ‘public spirit’ demonstrated by Alison and Chris, which brought them ‘unwittingly into the midst of a family dispute’ between the Jhangurs and the Khans, that would lead to Chris’ heartbreakingly tragic death, and to Alison being left seriously injured.
Hassan Jhangur’s deadly participation in the family dispute also led to his own mother and sister, Ambreen and Nafeesa, suffering ‘life-threatening injuries,’ along with Riasat Khan, who sustained a 10cm wound to his head when he hit the windscreen of Jhangur’s Seat Ibiza vehicle.
Mr Pitter told the jury of eight men and four women that the wedding of Jhangur’s sister, Amaani and Hasan Khan on the morning of the shocking incident ‘appears to be the feud and the catalyst for the violence that was to occur’.
“Such was, you may conclude, his [Hassan Jhangur's] rage and determination to engage in that dispute that had by this stage, spilled into violence,” Mr Pitter told the jury.
But Jhangur, aged 25, did not stop there.
In the seconds after his car came to a stop in the garden of a house on the street, he got out of the vehicle and proceeded to stab his new brother-in-law, Hasan Khan, ‘multiple times to the left side of his head and to his chest’.
As the chaotic scene continued on the street, with multiple casualties bleeding nearby, a swell of kind-hearted members of the public rushing from their homes to help, and the flashing lights of the emergency services beginning to arrive nearby, Jhangur’s father, Mohammed Jhangur, stashed the knife used to carry out the stabbing in his car.
Jurors have also convicted him of doing an act which had a tendency to pervert – or interfere with – the course of public justice
Alison’s lawyer, serious injury expert Donna Hughes from Thompsons Solicitors, suggests the case demonstrates the ‘devastating consequences of people acting out of emotion without thinking, and the lasting impact that such actions can have on innocent bystanders’.
“When a car is used as a weapon it is a lethal one. The consequences have been devastating and life changing for all the families involved, including those who were just trying to help.
“At Thompsons, we work with individuals affected by incidents like this all too often and understand the lasting impact they can have. Ms Norris continues to show great strength, and we will continue to support her as she moves forward,” Ms Hughes said after the verdicts were returned.
In addition to murder, jurors also convicted Hassan Jhangur, formerly of Whiteways Road, Grimesthorpe, Sheffield, of two counts of wounding with intent and three counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
He is now due to receive a sentence of life imprisonment, with the minimum term - and the punishment for the other offences - due to be set during an adjourned hearing on a date yet to be decided.
Mohammed Jhangur, aged 57, of Whiteways Road, Grimesthorpe, Sheffield, will also learn his fate during the same hearing.
Let’s try and honour Chris by looking out for each other
In the meantime, Alison - and all of the other people affected by the awful tragedy - will continue their work to rebuild their lives in the aftermath.
"It is a relief that the legal process is finally over, but the physical and psychological impact of the attack is something I will carry for the rest of my life,” she said.
“This has been a genuine tragedy - people's grief and anger resulted in violence that deeply hurt all four families involved. I suspect those who lashed out bitterly regret the damage they caused,” she added.
As he discharged the jury yesterday, the judge, Mr Justice Morris thanked those in the public gallery - which included members of Chris’ family - for the ‘quiet dignity and courtesy’ they displayed throughout the trial.
And as members of the community consider the lessons that can be learned from the awful events of December 27, 2023, perhaps the best thing we can do is to do as Alison suggested.
She has not allowed the terrible personal consequences the tragedy has had for her to pollute, or alter, her belief that the admirable behaviour Chris exhibited on that day is something we should all aspire to.
So with that in mind , let’s try to honour Chris - and the loved ones he leaves behind - and keep his memory alive by ‘looking out for others with kindness and generosity’.