Pair found guilty of ‘assassination’ by shotgun attack near Hampshire village of Corhampton jailed for life

Earlier in April, Aston Hannis, 30, and Charlie Statham, 30, were found guilty of the murder of Gurinderjit Rai in Corhampton.

Mr Rai, 41, was found dead in a car parked in a rural layby in Shepherds Farm Lane on July 13, 2019.

The victim, also known as “G”, had been shot at close range the previous night and had died from his injuries.

Mr Hannis, of Leah Gardens, Eastleigh, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 35 years, while Mr Statham, of Crescent Close, Winchester, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 28 years.

Two other men were convicted of manslaughter: Corin Barlow, 41, of no fixed abode, who was jailed for 17 years, and Paul White, 27, of Dyson Drive, Winchester, who was jailed for 15 years.

The verdict was reached following an eight week trial at Winchester Crown Court which concluded earlier this month, and all four men were sentenced today.

At the trial, it was heard that Mr Hannis was a drug dealer and in considerable debt to his supplier, Mr Rai, who was lured to the Corhampton layby to collect debt money from Mr Hannis on the night of July 12.

Mr Hannis and Mr Statham travelled to the layby in a recently acquired Mercedes where they met with Mr Rai and shot him twice in his car, the jury heard.

The car was later found burnt out nearby, and the shotgun was later recovered from woods in Whitchurch.

Detective chief inspector Dave Storey said: ‘Today marks the end of a long and complex investigation following the assassination of Gurinderjit Rai.

‘We hope that today’s sentences give the friends and family of Gurinderjit Rai some form of closure.

‘I would like to thank all the officers from across the force who worked to bring these four men to justice.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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