Seventeen years after an Indian-origin man was brutally attacked in London and nearly two years after his death, Scotland Yard on Tuesday announced that the incident is now being treated as a murder investigation.
Rajesh Verma, who was 42 at the time, was assaulted in Acton Park by a group of men on August 31, 2003, resulting in severe brain damage. He died on May 27, 2018. A special post mortem in June 2018 concluded there was a causal link between the 2003 assault and his death.
A verdict of unlawful killing was recorded at an inquest held at West London Coroners Court on November 28, 2019. A full police investigation was carried out in 2003, but no suspect was arrested or charged.
The police said the case has now be classified as a murder investigation and enquiries are being carried out by homicide detectives. A £20,000 reward is being offered for any information that leads to the arrest and conviction of Verma’s killer.
Detective chief inspector Noel McHugh said: “The attack on Rajesh involved ferocious violence by a group of men, one of whom, stabbed him in the head with a set of garden shears found near the crime scene”.
“We believe Rajesh was attacked after he intervened in a dispute between one of his friends and another individual. The suspects are believed to be local to the Acton area and are likely to still be living there or have links to the area. All were described as being of East African appearance”.
“This is a shocking crime and I’m in no doubt that people will have chatted and boasted about it. I need your call to identify Rajesh’s killer and that’s why we are offering a reward of £20,000 for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of those responsible”.
After the 2003 attack, Verma was treated at hospital before being discharged. However, he was left with a number of ongoing health issues due to the damage caused to his brain by the stab wound to his head.
In 2015, he had a major heart attack, which resulted in a lack of oxygen to his brain that further complicated the existing damage. This rendered him unresponsive and unable to move or speak for the last 18 months of his life.
Verma’s wife, Roma Verma, said the aftermath of the attack had a huge impact on the family: “Our children were 11 and 13 when their lives were turned upside down. We chose to care for him at home in the way that he had cared for all of us”.
“Each member of the family helped to care for him. He was unable to think, move, talk or walk, but we still felt he could feel our presence and persevered. He required 24-hour assistance and we gave it. We watched him in the same position day after day. Life was all about him, but we all had hope.
“The assault 15 years before, was random and unexpected. His assault left a huge gap in our hearts and continues to do so. His generosity and love for fellow humans did not deserve this. He was protective of the family but also of the vulnerable”.
“He was a very popular man in Acton. Hundreds paid their respects at his funeral. There were friends and family but also homeless people, and local business people who he had helped tirelessly.”