Asylum seeker sentenced to life after stabbing man in UK bank

A UK court has sentenced Haybe Cabdiraxmaan Nur to life imprisonment for the shocking and unprovoked killing of 37-year-old Gurvinder Johal inside a Derby bank.

The tragic incident occurred on May 6, when Nur calmly walked into a Lloyds Bank branch on St Peter’s Street and stabbed Johal through the heart without warning. Witnesses described the attack as sudden and senseless, leaving customers and staff in shock.

Derby Crown Court heard Nur, who arrived in the UK by small boat in October 2024 after years moving through Europe, selected Johal at random.

Judge Shaun Smith told him: “You murdered [Mr Johal] in broad daylight… It was a brutal and callous act… This was a real-life horror film.”

Johal’s family described him as “our light” and branded Nur “a coward and a demon”, saying “the light in our family has been extinguished” and that his children believe “a monster took daddy away.” They urged that he serve his whole sentence in the UK.

The attack, captured on CCTV, lasted less than half a minute. Prosecutor Louis Mably KC said Johal was stabbed “without warning or provocation” before Nur “calmly walked out of the bank.” Despite efforts to save him, Johal was pronounced dead at 15:16.

Nur—who had been drinking and had made threats to harm himself and others earlier that day—was later arrested at home after being found asleep on the floor. In custody, he was heard saying in Somali: “You can kill me as normal… I did this intentionally.”

The court heard Nur had a history of mental health issues and had been in contact with Migrant Help. He had previous arrests across Europe, including for robbery in Italy and theft in Germany.

Nur fled Somalia in 2016 after his wife was killed, and was diagnosed with complex PTSD, the court was told. He pleaded guilty in August.

Sam Shallow of the CPS called the killing an “inexplicable crime”, adding: “Mr Johal was a complete stranger… and there was no reason for him to have been targeted.”