Revealed: Face of killer who deliberately ran over man twice and left him for dead in Wolverhampton

A driver who deliberately ran over a father and left him for dead then tried to evade police by changing clothes and phones has today been convicted of murder.

Jashan Singh drove at Navpreet Singh in a white Mercedes C-class coupe in Wolverhampton then reversed over him before speeding off during the early hours of October 22 last year.

Navpreet Singh, who was 26, had been with friends at Phoenix Park to celebrate the last day of the festival of Diwali that evening.

Another group which included Jashan Singh also made their way to the park off Dudley Road that night.

At around 1am there was a disagreement between some members of the two groups, and a friend of Navpreet Singh’s was attacked.

The violence was led by Prabhjot Singh, an associate of Jashan Singh.

As Navpreet Singh went to the aid of his friend, he was also assaulted and hit with an iron rod by Prabhjot Singh.

After the former got to his feet he approached Jashan Singh's car and kicked the front headlight. Jashan Singh then drove into the victim and went over him with the front tyres, before reversing back over him and making off in the Mercedes.

He later told a jury he thought he had driven over a “firework box or something like that”.

Navpreet Singh was taken to hospital by his friends, but despite the best efforts of medics he was pronounced dead. He had been due to become a father for a second time.

West Midlands Police’s homicide unit launched an investigation and established Jashan Singh drove to a secluded spot at an industrial estate in Willenhall.

He and another man, Mohit Singh, changed and exchanged clothing in an attempt to avoid their descriptions being matched before driving off.

Jashan Singh returned home at around 3.25am and swapped into another vehicle. Through phone analysis police were able to trace his movements near airports in Coventry, Heathrow and Stansted during the day.

He also made efforts to hide his whereabouts through switching SIMs and phones.

However officers tracked him down and he was arrested in Bicester on the morning of October 24.

In police interview he initially claimed he'd driven off in the Mercedes while Navpreet Singh was still standing and fighting others. Once he was confronted with DNA evidence showing his car was responsible for hitting the victim, he then claimed he was present in the Mercedes but as a passenger.

At trial he changed his story again, this time admitting he was the driver but claiming he accidentally reversed over Navpreet Singh and left the scene unaware of what had occurred.

Prabhjot Singh was arrested from his home on November 4 and Mohit Singh, who left the country after the incident, was detained at Birmingham Airport on his return to the UK in January.

Jashan Singh, aged 21 of Cannock Road, Wolverhampton, was today (October 26) convicted of murder and perverting the course of justice following a trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court.

Mohit Singh, 18, of Tangmere Road, Wolverhampton, was convicted of perverting the course of justice.

Prabhjot Singh, aged 18 and of St Lukes Gardens, Wolverhampton, pleaded guilty to violent disorder ahead of the trial.

They will all be sentenced on November 30.

Detective Sergeant Rob Moir, from the West Midlands Police homicide unit, said: "Navpreet was a married man with a pregnant wife and not someone who was going out looking for trouble.

"Sadly, there was violence that evening with Mohit Singh, Prabhjot Singh and Jashan Singh the aggressors.

"Navpreet and his friends were attacked and, tragically, he was not only driven at but then reversed over leaving him with fatal injuries.

"Jashan Singh knew exactly what he was doing and was intent on causing serious harm. He then drove off and made efforts to avoid being identified and captured.

"Through our enquiries - which included speaking to witnesses, reviewing CCTV and analysing phone records - we were able to establish what happened and the movements afterwards.

"These men will rightly be punished for their actions and we only hope this helps bring some form of closure for Navpreet's loved ones, and our thoughts remain with them."