Khuram Javed: Widow of murdered Sheffield solicitor tells killers 'you will never be the man my husband was'

Khuram Javed, who was described as ‘the centre of his community’ and a pillar of strength to his friends, was gunned down in April 31 last year on a footpath off Bramall Lane. He was 31.

At Sheffield Crown Court yesterday (October 4), Mr Javed’s killers heard in the words of his distraught widow, Sunna Munir, how much their actions had devastated the lives of her family and their community.

It came as the two offenders – Samsul Mohammed, 20, of Wolseley Roadd, and Tinashe Kampira, 20, of Donovan Road – were sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum combined term of 58 years.

In a statement read to the court by prosecuting barrister Craig Hassall KC, Ms Munir told her husband’s killers: “You will never be anywhere near nor anywhere close to the man my Khuram was.

“It's beyond cruel and devastating to have him taken from me in such a senseless way at a time when we were so happy together.

“I feel I will mourn Khuram forever. On April 10, 2021, when Khuram was murdered, a part of me died too.”

Ms Munir told the court how her husband was “the centre of his community” and a source of reliability for many.

The couple had recently made an offer on a house and were planning to have more children when he died.

She said: “It's very difficult to put in any form of words the kind of man Khuram was and the effect of losing him unless you have experienced the loss we have felt.

“I have been with Khuram for 13 years, married for five. We married out of choice. Our marriage was born out of love and friendship, and was not arranged.

“In my eyes he was perfect. He was my best friend and soul mate.

“He could be relied on to say the right thing and was very much a family man.

“Our children were everything to him. He was an amazing, hands on father and it's heartbreaking to me that our son (now aged four) may have little to no memories of him.

“How am I to help my daughter understand what has happened when I can barely understand it myself?”

In her sentencing, Her Honour Mrs Justice Lambert described the killing as “senseless” and indicated that the attack was born out of ‘bad blood’ between the killers and Mr Javed’s friends.

The shooting was carried out by Samsul Mohammed using a pistol and blank rounds that had been converted into live ammunition.

Samsul, who also pleaded guilty to providing weapons in the conspiracy to murder Rameh Salem, is a known member of a Sheffield gang linked to drugs.

Ms Munir said in her statement: “Please understand – my husband was a decent man.

“He was at the centre of my world and the voice of reason that I and many others relied on.

“He was his parents’ pride and joy [and] his presence of mind was beyond his years.”

Samsul Mohammed was jailed for life with a minimum term of 32 years.

Tinashe Kampira was told he would be in jail for a minimum of 26 years.

In a statement after the sentencing, Ed Hulbert from the Crown Prosecution Service said: “Khuram Javed was a much-loved husband and father of two young children. He was murdered in cold blood, gunned down in front of his friends after an evening of socialising.

“This was a brutal crime which has shocked the local community and left his family devastated. His murderers are now facing life in prison. Our thoughts remain with his widow and young children.”