Jury retires to consider verdicts in case of driver accused of murdering Good Samaritan Chris Marriott

Chris Marriott, aged 46, was in the process of offering assistance to a woman lying in the road of College Close, Burngreave, Sheffield, on the afternoon of December 27, 2023, when he was struck by a car, leaving him with fatal injuries. He had been out on a walk with his wife and children when he stopped to help.

Four others were also seriously injured in the collision, including midwife Alison Norris, who was also attempting to come to the aid of the injured woman - subsequently identified as Nafessa Jhangur.

Hassan Jhangur, aged 25, has been on trial at Sheffield Crown Court for the last four weeks accused of murdering Mr Marriott, and of causing grievous bodily harm to the four others injured, including his own mother and sister, Ambreen and Nafeesa Jhangur, respectively.

He also faces an attempted murder charge, relating to a stabbing alleged to have been carried out against Hasan Khan, Hassan Jhangur’s new brother-in-law, in the moments following the crash.

Hassan Jhangur’s father, Mohammed Jhangur, has gone on trial alongside him, accused of concealing the knife used to stab Hasan Khan in the boot of his vehicle.

Mohammed Jhangur, aged 57, faces one count of doing an act which had a tendency to pervert or interfere with the course of public justice.

Following his summing up, the judge, Mr Justice Morris, sent the jury out to consider their verdicts at around 2pm this afternoon (Wednesday, July 2, 2025).

The pleas entered by Hassan Jhangur and Mohammed Jhangur

Hassan Jhangur has previously pleaded guilty to the offence of causing death by dangerous driving, in relation to Mr Marriott, and the offence of causing serious injury by dangerous driving to the others harmed in the collision.

Those guilty pleas were not accepted by prosecutors. They allege Hassan Jhangur’s conduct amounts to murder, or the alternative count of manslaughter, in relation to Mr Marriott, and to grievous bodily harm in relation to the other four people struck by his vehicle.

Hassan Jhangur has entered not guilty pleas to those charges.

He also faces a further count of attempted murder, or the alternative count of wounding with intent, in relation to Hasan Khan, which he denies.

Mohammed Jhangur, of Whiteways Road, Grimesthorpe, Sheffield, denies one count of doing an act which had a tendency to pervert or interfere with the course of public justice.

The prosecution case against Hassan Jhangur

Outlining the case against Hassan Jhangur on June 5, 2025 - the first day of the trial - prosecutor Jason Pitter KC, said it is alleged “Mr Marriott came to die, and numerous people were injured, when the car driven by the defendant, Hassan Jhangur struck them.”

“Hassan Jhangur used his Seat Ibiza vehicle as a weapon by deliberately driving so as to hit that group of people, perhaps not realising who was within it,” Mr Pitter told the jury.

“We make plain, the prosecution case here is that Hassan Jhangur is guilty of the offence of murder, using his car as a weapon and in doing so unlawfully killing Chris Marriott and intending at the time to cause at least really serious harm.”

Mr Pitter said the wedding of Hasan Khan and Amaani Jhangur, which took place on the morning of the fatal incident, “appears to be the feud and the catalyst for the violence that was to occur.”

He told jurors it was as part of Hassan Jhangur’s participation in the family “feud” that “killed Chris Marriott on the one hand and seriously injured Alison Norris on the other.”

“In doing so he also injured others there, including his own mother, such was, you may conclude, his rage and determination to engage in that dispute that had by this stage, spilled into violence.”

Such was the level of tension between the two families, suggested Mr Pitter, that members of the bride’s family did not attend the wedding that morning; and subsequently proceeded to throw bags of her belongings outside the Khan family home on College Court, which is located close to the scene of the incident.

The tension between the two families “developed into a physical confrontation with violence being used,” resulting in Hassan Jhangur’s sister, Nafeesa Jhangur, lying in the street, seemingly having been rendered unconscious, somewhere in the mouth of the junction of College Close and College Court.

Mr Pitter said: “And so it was that at about this time when things were really escalating that Chris Marriott and Alison Norris happened to become involved.”

Defence closing speeches

In closing speeches last week, Hassan Jhangur’s barrister, Richard Thyne KC, said that while Hassan Jhangur’s driving was “unquestionably dangerous” and had “tragic” consequences it does not mean he had the intention to cause really serious harm, which is required for it to equate to murder or manslaughter.

He told jurors they may find, after careful and critical analysis of the evidence provided, that the fatal collision was an “unintended consequence” of the dangerous driving Hassan Jhangur admits.

Continued Mr Thyne: “Even if you wouldn’t go that far to feel it is an unintended consequence of dangerous driving.

“If you can’t be sure it was a deliberate decision, that it was a deliberate collision, terrible though this incident was, then it wasn’t murder, it wasn’t manslaughter.”

The independent evidence, suggested Mr Thyne, supports their assertion that Hassan Jhangur appeared to be “in shock” in the immediate aftermath of the collision.

This includes the fact witnesses said he remained in the drivers’ seat, behind the wheel, “for a few moments” after the collision, and could subsequently be seen with his hands to his face repeatedly saying “that’s my sister,” referring to those injured by, and seemingly trapped underneath, his vehicle, said Mr Thyne.

He continued: “Are those the actions of a person in a rage, fired up, or are they the actions of a person in shock? Are they the actions of someone who has indiscriminately mowed someone down, intent on causing harm. Or someone who’s made a terrible error?”

Representing Mohammed Jhangur, Richard Adams told jurors his client asserts that he put the knife in his boot, in order to “avoid the risk it might be used.”

Outlining the reasons why jurors may consider that to be a valid claim, Mr Adams said Mohammed Jhangur had just observed four people at the scene of the crash being “covered in blood.” Mohammed Jhangur had witnessed a total of six casualties since he received the call suggesting his daughter had just been assaulted, which led to his presence on the scene.

Mr Adams said other witnesses have described a chaotic scene on the street, involving “shouting and screaming,” confusion and individuals armed with weapons.

“The knife had blood on it. It follows, does it not, that he may have concluded that the knife had already been used,” said Mr Adams.

The trial continues.