Valentine's Day murder trial: Restaurant manager 'mown down'

The horrifying scene unfolded in front of a witness who looked outside his window after hearing a loud bang - only to see a man get out of a Range Rover, walk to the front of the car, and "forcefully strike something on the floor" before taking off at speed.

When the witness went out to investigate, he found 36-year-old Vignesh Pattabi-Raman lying on the side of the road with a "pool of blood" dripping from his head.

The victim was rushed to hospital but died in the early hours of February 15, 2024.

Two men, 24-year-old Shazeb Khalid and 27-year-old Soiheem Hussain, stand trial accused of orchestrating and carrying out the brutal murder, with Khalid having carried out the murder on the orders of Hussain.

A pregnant woman, 20-year-old Mya Reilly, also stands accused of assisting Khalid, who was her boyfriend at the time and of destroying incriminating evidence.

Whilst the motive remains unclear, the prosecutor told jurors Mr Raman's murder closely followed his resignation from his job at The Vel South Indian Kitchen and Bar in Reading town centre after we was offered a management role in a luxury venue in Mayfair.

Prosecutor Sally Howes, opening the case at Reading Crown Court told the jury: "Mr Raman's final working day was to be February 15. He did not live long enough to see it.

"The fatal collision between the vehicle, which turned out to be a Range Rover Evoque, and Vignesh Raman on his bicycle was not an unfortunate accident.

"This was a well-planned, well-coordinated, deliberate, targeted attack in which Shazeb Khalid and Soiheem Hussain both played a part, and both are guilty of the murder of Vignesh Pattabi-Raman."

The court was told that Mr Raman, who "poured his heart and soul into his work" at The Vel South Indian Kitchen and Bar, had moved to the UK from India with his wife in December 2022.

In the weeks leading up to his violent death, Mr Raman handed in his resignation after he was offered a new role at the Hyatt Regency luxury restaurant and hotel in London.

On the night of Valentine's day this year, Mr Raman had finished closing down the restaurant and was cycling back to his home on Whitley Street in Reading when he was mown down in Addington Road by a Range Rover.

Prosecutor Ms Howes told jurors the noise from the collision drew the attention of a local resident who immediately went to his window to see what had happened.

She said: "The impact between the Range Rover and Vignesh Raman happens at a point on Addington Road that is not covered by CCTV.

"However, a witness who lives in a property overlooking Addington Road, heard the sound of an impact at about quarter to midnight.

"Looking out of his window, he saw a car that looked as if it was parked partially on the pavement, very close to the trees lining the road.

"He saw the face of someone getting out via the driver's door and take two or three steps to get to the front of the vehicle. He describes the movement he saw as "purposeful."

"The witness then saw that figure stand in front of the bonnet, lean forward in front of the vehicle, and appear to strike something on the floor three times in a "forceful manner". It took only seconds.

"The driver got back into the vehicle, the engine revved and reversed, and then shot of at speed with a screech of tyres."

Jurors heard the witness then went outside to investigate and heard moaning coming from "something on the ground."

Prosecutor Ms Howes told jurors: "That 'something' was a man and his bicycle in a tangled heap. He was unconscious, his breathing was laboured, and there was a sound of gurgling."

Emergency services were called and Mr Raman was rushed to the Royal Berkshire Hospital, where he sadly died on February 15 at 01.39am.

A post-mortem examination later found that Mr Raman had died of a severe head injury caused by "a vehicle wheel running over the head or potentially a crushing event between two surfaces such as part of a car and a tree," jurors were told.

The subsequent police investigation revealed there had been numerous exchanges between Khalid and Hussain on the night of the alleged murder - with Khalid texting his then girlfriend Mya Reilly "I got a mission later" on Valentine's eve, just a few hours before Mr Raman's death.

Footage from nearby CCTV cameras also filmed Khalid driving the Range Rover in circles around The Vel restaurant where Mr Raman worked, before following the manager as he cycled home.

The prosecutor told jurors Khalid accepted that he was the driver of the Range Rover on the night of February 14, but claimed he did not intend to kill Mr Raman.

She said: It was he who drove that car into Vignesh Raman's bicycle, running him off the road to his death.

"At an earlier hearing before this court, he pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Vignesh Raman.

"But it is the Crown's case that Shazeb Khalid did not act alone. He acted under the orders of Soiheem Hussain. Khalid had no connection with Vignesh Raman - Soiheem Hussain did."

The court heard Hussain knew the Indian restaurant where Mr Raman worked and was a "close friend" of The Vel's operations manager, Mohammed Sadiq Ishmail, who flew out of the UK to Bahrain 10 days before the alleged murder.

Ms Reilly, who was the girlfriend of Khalid at the time, is accused of having provided the alleged killer with a "safe house" for him to stay after the death of Mr Raman.

The 20-year-old woman, who is in her third trimester of pregnancy, allegedly helped Khalid destroy items of clothing which he wore the night of Mr Raman's death, as well as his phone.

Khalid was arrested on suspicion of murder on February 19, and Reilly was apprehended the next day.

Khalid, previously of Engineers Court in Reading, Berkshire, denies one count of murder. He however admitted one count of manslaughter.

Hussain, of Rossby in Shinfield, Reading, was arrested on February 29, and also denies one count of murder.

Ms Reilly, of Chiltern Gardens in Woodcote, Oxfordshire, denies one count of assisting an offender, and another of perverting the course of justice.

The trial continues.