Man sentenced to 27 years in prison for murder of Halfway House cafe owner
A man was today found guilty of murder and sentenced to prison, in connection with the death of a man in Halfway House near Shrewsbury last year.
Belkar Singh, aged 58, from Handsworth, Birmingham, was found guilty following a trial at Stafford Crown Court. He was sentenced to 27 years and 157 days in prison.
On June 26 last year, 67-year-old Satnam Singh Blugher was found deceased inside the diner he ran in Halfway House, Shrewsbury, by a relative. A large quantity of money was also found to be missing. A post-mortem examination revealed his cause of death to be from multiple injuries.
The following day, Belkar Singh - who worked for Mr Blugher - was arrested in Handsworth on suspicion of his murder.
Singh was found to be in possession of cash in excess of £47,000, gold jewellery and a mobile phone, which were all later found to belong to Mr Blugher.
Singh was charged with murder on 30 June and appeared at Telford Magistrates' Court on the same day. He was remanded in custody and later pleaded not guilty, and on 11 December 2017 the trial commenced.
Following the sentencing, Detective Inspector Mark Bellamy of the Major Incident Unit based at Malinsgate Police Station said:
"Belkar Singh has today been found guilty of the murder of Satnam Singh Blugher in June last year, and today he has been brought to justice for his actions.
"However, Mr Blugher's family will spend the rest of their lives coming to terms with the loss of a much-loved father and grandfather and my thoughts are with them at what continues to be an exceptionally difficult and distressing time. They have supported the investigation throughout and I would like to thank them for their support and dignity throughout the process. Although nothing will bring Satnam back to his family and friends, I hope that today's outcome brings them at least a small sense that justice has been done.
"Satnam ran his business in Halfway House for some 15 years, during which time he made many friends in the local community. Many people were shocked and appalled when news of his death was announced in summer. I would like to thank those who came forward to support our investigation by providing information and statements.
"Finally I'd like to thank all of the officers and staff working on this investigation for their hard work and determination throughout, in order to bring the case to court. Although crimes of this nature are thankfully rare within our policing areas, this sentence highlights the complexity of the six-month investigation which took place in order to bring this offender to justice."
