Cumbria bakery shop child killer to stay in jail


A father who murdered his baby son in a Cumbrian shop in front of the child’s horrified mother has been denied parole.
The brutal knife murder committed by Shahajan Kabir left the county in shock.
He is now serving a life sentence at the Category A HMP Wakefield for murdering his 10-month-old Hassan Martin in Carlisle’s Scotch Street Greggs bakery in 2003.
His original jail term was increased from 13 to 16 years, meaning he was considered for release in October last year.
But the Parole Board found that his behaviour in prison “had been mixed, and he had not demonstrated sufficient evidence that his level of risk had reduced”.
In its ruling, published this week, the Parole Board said: “After considering the circumstances of his offending, the progress made while in custody and the evidence presented at the hearing and in the dossier, the panel was not satisfied that Mr Kabir was suitable for release.”
During his Carlisle Crown Court trial, Kabir, now 56, was described as looking “proud and smug” as he fatally wounded his son in front of his mother Lorna Martin and grandmother Pauline Martin at the Scotch Street bakery.
They had gone to Greggs to order a cake for the youngster’s first birthday.
Kabir attacked his son with a 12-inch knife while he was still strapped into his pushchair.
He slit the boy’s throat from ear to ear before being disarmed by passersby.
The jury was told that Kabir was smiling as he attacked Hassan.
A jury declared him guilty of murder and unlawfully wounding the baby’s mother and grandmother.
The court heard Kabir – depressed and angry after failing to gain access to his son following his separation from Miss Martin – armed himself with a kitchen knife from the Botchergate restaurant where he worked.
Six weeks earlier, he was told he would not be granted asylum in the UK and would be deported to his native Bangladesh.
The parole panel heard the main risk factor at the time of the offence was Kabir’s “willingness to use violence deliberately to get what he wanted”.
The report added: “The panel also noted concerns about Mr Kabir’s ability to deal with relationships, his management of emotions and his mental health.”
A Parole Board spokesman said: “The panel carefully examined a whole range of evidence, including details of the original case, and any evidence of behaviour change.
“A review takes place with extreme care and we will never release any prisoner if it is determined they still pose a risk to the public. The protection of the public is our top priority.” Kabir will be eligible for a further review within two years.”
2004
Father gets life sentence for ‘ferocious’ murder of baby son
Shahajan Kabir, 40, was told by a judge at Carlisle crown court that he must serve a minimum of 13 years after he was convicted of killing his son Hassan Martin. Two jurors wept as he was sentenced.
Kabir was also found guilty of the unlawful wounding of the child’s mother and her mother, after he had pursued the two women through Carlisle town centre.
Kabir, who worked as a curry chef, initially denied murdering Hassan in Greggs bakery on October 21 last year. At the time of the attack, he was facing imminent deportation to Bangladesh because he had been denied political asylum.
He had separated from Miss Martin, the mother of his child, and had unsuccessfully sought political asylum after he overstayed his visa eight years ago.
In September last year his final appeal to stay in the UK was dismissed and he was told he would be deported within six weeks. A week before killing his son, he had attempted to snatch him in Carlisle town centre.
Mr Justice Leveson said: “You have been convicted of the murder of Hassan Martin, your son. Taking a ferocious knife from the restaurant at which you worked, I am sure that you deliberately went in search of your son.
“On the basis that if you couldn’t see Hassan and that on any moment you were likely to be deported from this country, you decided no one should have the pleasure of his company and you would bring his life to an end.”
The judge added that there had been a “real degree” of planning in the murder. He said it was no accident that he did not stab Ms Martin or her mother.
“They were left to suffer the loss of Hassan,” he said.
Kabir had followed Hassan into Greggs, where Ms Martin was ordering a cake for his first birthday, the court heard.
A scuffle followed and Kabir attacked his son with a 12-inch knife while he was still strapped into his pushchair.
He slit the boy’s throat from ear to ear before being disarmed by passersby.
The jury was told that Kabir was smiling as he attacked Hassan.
Giving evidence, witness Matthew Bell said he had seen Kabir grab the baby’s bib and place the knife to his neck.
He said: “He started to cut into the baby’s throat. I saw him cut three times as if he was cutting some bread. Blood was oozing from the throat.”
During an outburst in court, Kabir admitted that it was he who killed Hassan but insisted he could not remember doing it. He claimed he was suffering from depression and could not be held responsible for his actions.
“My life is finished,” Kabir said. “My son is my life. My life is gone and I accept my punishment.”
The senior investigating officer in the case, Detective Chief Inspector Bill Whitehead, said: “It has been a very difficult case. We are talking about the terrible murder of an infant child.
“You can train your officers to deal with critical incidents but this was the murder of a child by his father. For the witnesses, it was quite clearly an ordeal and many of them were trembling as they gave evidence.
“The family have been distraught since October 21 last year, and I think this is probably the first day of the rest of their lives.”
DCI Whitehead paid tribute to the family, saying they had been dignified throughout.
Ms Martin’s sister, Zoe Muir, said: “Hassan was a lovely little boy who always seemed to have a smile on his face for everyone. It has been difficult to come to terms with the fact that such an innocent child could have died in such a brutal way, that his life was cut short so suddenly and at such an early age.
“We took Shahajan Kabir into our home and our family and he has betrayed us in the cruellest way imaginable.”
She added that the family were extremely grateful and would like to thank all those who left flowers and gifts outside the bakery.