Stapleton, cold-blooded murderer, put away

ANUJ Bidve, 23, was murdered in the early hours of Boxing Day 2011 after he and his friends were confronted by Kiaran Stapleton on Ordsall Lane in Salford.

On, 26 July 2012, Stapleton (born 28/01/1991) was convicted of Anuj's murder. 

He had previously pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, but this plea was not accepted by the Crown.

Anuj was visiting Manchester with friends and was heading into the city centre to queue for the sales when they saw two men on the opposite side of the road on Ordsall Lane. 

Anuj BidveOne of these was Stapleton, who crossed the road and asked the group for the time. After one of the group replied, without warning or provocation Stapleton calmly produced a gun, placed it to Anuj's head and shot him. Witnesses reported that Stapleton either smirked or laughed afterwards.

Police were called and armed officers arrived and administered emergency first aid to Anuj, but he was later pronounced dead. A Home Office post-mortem examination confirmed he died as a result of a gunshot wound to the head.

In the days that followed, Stapleton got a tattoo of a teardrop under his right eye which in some street cultures could be a symbol of having killed someone.

As the police investigation unfolded, a key witness who was with Stapleton that night came forward with vital evidence about what happened.

Assistant Chief Constable Dawn Copley said: "Subhash and Yogini Bidve worked incredibly hard to send their son Anuj to England so he could get a good education and have the best possible start in life. However, their dreams were shattered because of the brutal and callous actions of Kiaran Stapleton.

"Today, the most important thing is that Anuj's family are here today to see their son's killer brought to justice, which is the very least they deserve. I can only hope that seeing Stapleton convicted will give the family some sense of justice as they continue to rebuild their lives after their devastating loss."

Detective Chief Superintendent Mary Doyle, who led the investigation, said: "There was absolutely nothing remarkable about Stapleton's history and nothing that would ever have suggested he could commit such a cold-blooded, random killing. I have personally not investigated a case like this ever before.

"When Anuj was taken from his family, Greater Manchester Police's Major Incident Team, supported by a huge policing operation in Salford, launched a thorough and painstaking investigation to ensure that Anuj's killer was brought to justice.

"It is important now the case is concluded that we focus on the facts of what happened that night as there was a lot of speculation and rumour following Anuj's senseless killing.

"I cannot speculate on what Stapleton was thinking when he pulled the trigger, but it is also important for Anuj's family and everyone around the world who was affected by this murder that we are clear about the facts.

"Our investigation found no evidence that Anuj was targeted because of his race. We have no evidence that racist comments were made and there appears to be no motivation for Stapleton other than tragically Anuj and his friends were in the wrong place at the wrong time. He had a gun in his pocket and he used it on the first person he came across. This was a cold-blooded, motiveless killing for which he has shown no remorse and only Stapleton knows why he committed such a horrific act that night.

"What we were able to prove was that Stapleton got a tattoo very soon after he killed Anuj which we believe may have been some sort of boast or badge of honour. If that is true, such a cold and brazen act tells its own story about what sort of man he is."

Chief Superintendent Kevin Mulligan, divisional commander for Salford said: "Anuj's murder caused complete shock and outrage in our community. People in Ordsall, and across Salford, were absolutely appalled this happened on their doorsteps and there was an outpouring of anger and grief from everyone who lives here. What also struck me in the days and weeks that followed was that our close-knit community pulled together to assist the investigation. The fact that hundreds of people in this area came to pay their respects at Anuj's vigil shows the strength of feeling in this community.

"It is also important to stress that it was information that came directly from this community that led to Stapleton being charged. In the days after Anuj's murder we personally visited every home in Ordsall and the overwhelming feeling was one of wanting to secure justice for the family."

"Across Salford, crime has fallen significantly in the last four or five years, and the quality of people's lives has also improved. We are working very hard with our partner agencies and Salford City Council to ensure it is a safe place to work, live and study.

"However, let me be clear that Anuj's tragic death was not about organised criminality or about Salford as a community. Living in Salford is not what motivated Stapleton to do what he did: it was the inexplicable actions of one man who targeted a young man with his whole life ahead of him for no apparent reason whatsoever, and again our thoughts are first and foremost with Anuj's family for their devastating loss."

BACKGROUND

Anuj was an Indian national who came to England in September 2011 to study a postgraduate course in micro-electronics at Lancaster University.

When the Christmas holiday came, he and his friends decided not to return to India but stayed in England.

On 24 December 2011, he travelled to Salford with eight other friends to visit Manchester to do some sight-seeing and shopping. They were staying at the Etap Hotel on Trafford Road, Salford and at about 11.30pm on Christmas Day left the hotel with the intention of queuing up for the sales at Next.

GPS on a mobile phone directed the group down Ordsall Lane, past Ordsall Hall and toward the junction with Regent Road. The group were on the right-hand side walking in groups of two or three.

They passed the Bricklayers Arms pub when they saw two men on the opposite side of the road, one of which was Stapleton. Stapleton crossed the road and asked the group for the time. When one of the group replied it was 1.30am, Stapleton, who up until this point had his hands in his pockets, produced a small gun and shot Anuj in the head. Witnesses reported that the gunman either smirked or smiled afterwards.

The gun has never been recovered but it is thought to have been a self-loading pistol.

He then ran back across the road and he and the other man he was with ran off.

The shocked students flagged down a passing car for help and the police were then called.

A huge policing operation was then launched to find Anuj's killer. CCTV showed a number of men at the Shell Service Station near to Ordsall Lane moments before Anuj was killed, one of which was identified as Stapleton.

A significant witness who was with Stapleton that evening later gave an account to police that Stapleton had been with friends at a house on the Ordsall Estate that night, and during that evening expressed his dismay at the break-up of his relationship and suggested to this friend if "if I see him, I'll kill him" - referring to a man Stapleton believed had had an affair with his ex-girlfriend.

After Stapleton shot Anuj, he and his friend were captured on CCTV running down Orsdall Lane. Stapleton later gave his friend new clothes to wear and took a man bag off him. CCTV footage recovered from an address in Weaste, Salford, on Boxing Day shows a fire in the back garden of the house. A police search team examined the debris, and found items of clothing consistent with that worn by Stapleton and his friend on the night, and debris of the adidas bag which Stapleton took off his friend.

Stapleton checked himself into the Campanile Hotel in Salford on 27 December 2011, and was captured on hotel CCTV looking out at the scene where he had shot Anuj.

On Thursday 29 December 2011 Stapleton was arrested at a house in Leigh where he was hiding out.

When taken into custody, Stapleton had a tattoo of a teardrop under his right eye. Inquiries established that on Wednesday 28 December 2012, Stapleton went to a tattoo parlour in Swinton and had a teardrop tattooed onto the side of his face. The teardrop has several possible meanings, the most common being to symbolise killing another person, which is derived from American prison or street culture. When this was put to Stapleton by the tattooist, he claimed he had killed his goldfish.

While being interviewed in custody, Stapleton later claimed he got the tattoo because he killed his hamster.

Mobile pictures Stapleton took of himself were recovered from his home. He took pictures of himself at the Campanile Hotel, shopping in Spinningfields and just after he had obtained the tattoo.

After being charged with his murder, he appeared before magistrates' court the next day and gave his name as 'Psycho Stapleton'.