A 25-year-old man has been convicted at Sheffield Crown Court of murdering Chris Marriott, a Good Samaritan who was killed while attempting to help an injured woman during a violent wedding day disturbance in Sheffield’s Burngreave area on December 27, 2023.
Hassan Jhangur drove his Seat Ibiza into a crowd of five people, including the 46-year-old father-of-two who had stopped to assist a woman lying unconscious in the street. The court heard that Jhangur used his vehicle “as a weapon” during a family feud that erupted following his sister’s wedding.
Chris Marriott was almost certainly killed instantly,” prosecutor Tom Storey KC told the jury during the trial. The IT manager for charity Community Money Advice had been out for a post-Christmas walk with his wife and two young sons when he witnessed the disturbance on College Close.
Fatal Wedding Day Violence
The tragedy unfolded after Jhangur’s sister Amaani married Hasan Khan earlier that day. The Jhangur family had not attended the ceremony due to disagreements about the wedding arrangements, creating tensions that would later explode into violence.
Around 2 pm, members of the Jhangur family arrived at the Khan family home where the newlyweds were celebrating. An altercation broke out, leaving Jhangur’s sister Nafeesa lying injured in the street.
He was out for a walk with his family when one of his children wanted to try out a new skateboard,” the prosecution explained. When Mr Marriott saw Nafeesa Jhangur on the ground, he immediately went to help, kneeling beside her and saying: “Hello, hello, can you hear me?”
Deliberate Attack with Vehicle
Hassan Jhangur, who had been woken by family members “screaming and shouting” that his sister had been hit, armed himself with a knife before driving to the scene. The court heard he arrived at “some speed,” first striking Riasat Khan, who went “cartwheeling” over the bonnet.
The vehicle then drove over both Chris Marriott and Nafeesa Jhangur, before hitting Jhangur’s own mother, Ambreen, and Alison Norris, an off-duty midwife who had also stopped to help. After the car came to rest with its engine still running and front wheels spinning in the air, Jhangur exited the vehicle and stabbed his new brother-in-law Hasan Khan multiple times.
At the time of his arrival on College Close, Hassan Jhangur was intent at least on causing someone really serious harm,” Mr Storey told the court. “He was prepared to use his vehicle as a weapon in the process.”
Defendant’s Remorse
During his evidence, Jhangur claimed he had lost control of the car while turning into the street “too fast.” He told the jury he felt “like a monster” after learning of Mr Marriott’s death.
“I felt sympathy. Me driving dangerously has taken a life,” Jhangur said from the witness box. “I felt sympathy for him, his family, his friends. I thought ‘What if he’s got kids that have now got to grow up without a dad?'”
The defendant admitted he initially believed he had killed his own mother and sister, saying: “I had no idea anyone else was underneath the car. I was upset, I felt angry with myself, thinking ‘What have I just done?'”
Legal Proceedings and Guilty Verdict
Jhangur had previously pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving to four others. However, he denied murder, manslaughter, attempted murder, and multiple counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
The conviction comes after a retrial was ordered when the first jury failed to reach verdicts in July 2024 after seven days of deliberations. The second trial resulted in guilty verdicts on the murder charge.
Mohammed Jhangur, 57, Hassan’s father, was also tried for perverting the course of justice after allegedly concealing the knife used in the attack in the boot of his taxi. The jury in the first trial also failed to reach a verdict on this charge.
Victim Remembered as Selfless Helper
Chris Marriott’s widow Bryony, who watched proceedings from the public gallery, previously stated that her husband “devoted his life to helping others.” The couple had been married for 16 years.
“The circumstances of his death, although tragic and unfathomable to us, his family, show the sort of man he was – to go to help rather than to turn away,” the family said in a statement. They described him as a man of faith who worked extensively with his church, a local food bank, and various charitable organizations in Sheffield.
Heather Keates, founder and CEO of Community Money Advice where Mr Marriott worked, said: “He wanted to give people hope and, therefore, he was prepared to go the extra mile for people. His generosity, his care for people, his compassion for people, this was the root of who he was.”
Community Impact
The case has deeply affected the Sheffield community, with over £36,000 raised for Mr Marriott’s family through crowdfunding. He was remembered as a “valued and much-loved member of City Church Sheffield” who regularly volunteered at the Jubilee Food Bank and served as a trustee for local children’s organizations.
The tragic incident highlights how a family dispute escalated into fatal violence, claiming the life of an innocent bystander who exemplified the very best of community spirit by rushing to help a stranger in need.
Sentencing for Hassan Jhangur is expected to take place at a later date. Under UK law, a murder conviction carries a mandatory life sentence, with the judge to determine the minimum term to be served before parole eligibility.
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Image Credit:
The Law Courts, Sheffield – Photo by Chris Allen, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
