February 20, 2004:

Two people accused of murdering a grandfather who was shot dead at the end of a high speed car chase, are due in court. 60-year-old Amratlal Kanabar, was allegedly pursued along the A46 towards Leicester, before he was shot in the head in the early hours of October the 8th, last year. Richard Harris Watson and Rebecca Shakespeare, both from Nottingham, will appear before Nottingham Crown Court charged with murdering the grandfather-of-four.

Leicester, Oct. 10, 2003

Amratlal Kanabar, a 60-year-old grandfather shot dead as he drove home after a night out with friends said yesterday they were "disgusted" at the rise in gun crime as they appealed for help to catch the killers.

Amratlal Kanabar, a retired businessman, was shot in the head after a 15-mile car chase at speeds of up to 100mph.

Police said yesterday that the killers may have followed him and three friends from a casino they had visited and flagged them down in order to rob them. When they refused to stop, they chased them and murdered Mr Kanabar.

Yesterday Mr Kanabar's youngest son Nisit, 33, said: "I am disgusted at the way gun crime is growing in this country. I was born in Kenya, and there it's an everyday event. I consider myself British, and by living here I thought I had escaped that way of life.

"I can't believe I'm sitting here talking about this. It feels like I'm in a movie. These people murdered our father - they must pay for what they have done. We appeal to anybody who has a father or a grandfather - there must be somebody who knows these people. They cannot be allowed to do this.

Mr Kanabar visited the Gala casino in Nottingham before leaving shortly after 2am on Wednesday. As he and his friends were on their way home to Leicester a car pulled up behind them as they joined the A46 and flashed at them to stop.

Thinking it may have been the police, they pulled over at a layby, but when the driver of the car, a blue Ford Escort-style hatchback, got out and they realised it was not an officer, they drove off.

The other car chased them down the A34, eventually pulling up beside them on Melton Road, Leicester, and shooting Mr Kanabar, a backseat passenger, in the head with a shotgun. He died later in hospital.

Mr Kanabar, of Wigston, Leicester, came to England from Kenya 32 years ago and ran several convenience stores before retiring.

Police said yesterday that the four men had taken only £40 each to the casino and had "broken even". They said attempted robbery was probably the most obvious motive but admitted that a racially aggravated attack could not be ruled out.

Det Supt Martin Morrissey said Mr Kanabar visited casinos with friends about once a fortnight but insisted none of the group was "a high roller". He said the four men realised that a car was following them within moments of joining the A46 after leaving Nottingham.

The gunman is described as well-built white, aged 35 to 40, with dark hair. His passenger was a mousey-haired woman.

Closed circuit television footage of the road was being studied yesterday, but police said Mr Kanabar's friends had claimed that there was no "confrontation" between the cars.

Detectives also appealed for help from casino-goers in Nottingham, Leicester and Derby who might have experienced "suspicious activity" in recent weeks.