DERBY, England -The city of Derby has been left devastated after Gurvinder Singh Johal, a 37-year-old father of three and beloved restaurant owner, was brutally murdered inside a Lloyds Bank branch in the city centre. The killer, Haybe Cabdiraxmaan Nur, a 47-year-old Somali asylum seeker, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the senseless attack that has horrified both the local and wider community.
The shocking incident occurred on May 6, 2025, when Nur calmly entered the St Peter’s Street bank, approached Mr. Johal as he waited in line, and stabbed him once in the chest. The knife lodged in Johal’s chest as Nur walked away, leaving stunned witnesses in panic. Johal was rushed to hospital but tragically pronounced dead less than an hour later.
At Derby Crown Court, Judge Shaun Smith KC described the killing as “brutal and callous,” saying that Mr. Johal was “doing nothing more than withdrawing money from the bank to pay his staff.” The judge called the CCTV footage “a real-life horror film,” adding that the murder was “a very public and terrifying act.”
Court documents revealed that Nur had arrived in the UK by small boat in October 2024 and was denied asylum after officials found no grounds for his claim. He was issued immigration bail in March 2025, barring him from work. Prosecutors also detailed his long criminal history across France, Luxembourg, Italy, and Germany, including violent and public order offenses.
On the day of the killing, Nur had reportedly been drinking heavily and told a charity helpline that he planned to hurt others before ending his own life. Despite paramedics being alerted to his threats, he carried out the fatal attack before they could intervene.
After stabbing Johal, Nur returned to his flat, where police found him hours later. During his arrest, he reportedly told officers, “I did this intentionally,” and made disturbing comments referencing extremist figures.
Nur’s defence argued he had been in “a state of crisis,” struggling with alcoholism and despair over his asylum rejection. A psychiatrist later described the attack as a “terrible expression of anger and hopelessness.”
In a heart-wrenching victim statement, Johal’s family described their devastation:
“We stand before you broken and grieving to speak of the unbearable pain and emptiness that has consumed our lives since Gurvinder—our son, our Danny—was so brutally taken from us.”
They spoke of his three young children, aged five, three, and one, who still ask, “When is Daddy coming back?”
Judge Smith sentenced Haybe Cabdiraxmaan Nur to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 25 years, calling the attack “a tragedy beyond words.”
As Derby mourns the loss of a kind, hardworking family man, tributes continue to pour in from friends, colleagues, and community members who remember Gurvinder Singh Johal as a man of generosity, warmth, and deep love for his family.
“He was a bright light in this community,” one local resident said. “He didn’t deserve this — no one does. We will never forget him.”