Teenage witness to temple murder

[chamkila]

Detectives investigating the murder of a 78-year-old man who was brutally beaten at a Sikh temple are waiting to speak to a teenager who witnessed part of the attack.

The 14-year-old, who has not been named, cut the bonds around Sohan Singh's hands and feet after the attack in the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara on Christmas Eve.

West Midlands Police said the youth had volunteered to stay overnight in the building with Mr Singh to guard the prayer book.

A number of intruders entered the temple in Cannock Road, Park Village, Wolverhampton, between 0300 and 0400 GMT.

Mr Singh was surprised by the offenders who bound and gagged him before beating him.

They made off with a coin collection worth up to £100 and three rare Sennheiser e865 microphones with a red band around them.

Mr Singh was a deeply religious man committed to his faith

Detective Chief Inspector Nigel Rock

Mr Singh was taken to Wolverhampton's New Cross Hospital suffering from head injuries but died on 30 December.

Detective Chief Inspector Nigel Rock, who is leading the murder inquiry, said: "Mr Singh was a deeply religious man committed to his faith.

"An example of this is the fact that he volunteered to be in attendance with the holy book."

He said he believed the intruders intended to burgle the temple and the murder was not racially-motivated.

The teenage witness had only arrived in Britain a few months before the attack and does not speak English.

Officers plan to speak to him to find out what he saw.

The temple is open 24 hours a day

Mr Rock said: "We are taking our time with trained officers to fin

d out exactly what he has seen and what he has heard, bearing in mind it was a very traumatic experience.

"He did witness part of the attack and he did hear part of the attack."

A £1,000 reward has been offered by the temple's committee for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Mr Singh's attackers.

Mr Singh arrived in the Black Country in 1989, while his wife and children stayed in India.

He worked at a number of temples in the area and became a British citizen in the mid-1990s.

Police have appealed to anyone on the Cannock Road at the time of the attack who might have seen the blood-stained offenders leaving the temple.

Anyone offered the microphones is also urged to contact the police.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_mi...nds/3371385.stm

[Gill]

is it known what race these people are from