London, Jun 25: A man has been convicted of killing a Sikh taxi driver in central England in 2022, following an argument over the method of payment of his fare.

Tomasz Margol, 36, was found guilty at Wolverhampton Crown Court this week of 59-year-old Anakh Singh's manslaughter in an incident which occurred in October 2022. He will be sentenced for the crime next month.

"This was a senseless and tragic act of violence," said Detective Inspector (DI) Michelle Thurgood, from the Wolverhampton Police CID.

"Singh was a law-abiding man of good character who was simply trying to do his job. Our thoughts remain with Singh's family at this difficult time," she said.

The court heard that on the morning of October 30, 2022, Anakh Singh was found collapsed in Nine Elms Lane with serious injuries, which he died of at the scene.

Singh had picked up Margol in his taxi before the two got into an argument over the method of payment for the journey.

"This escalated to Margol subjecting Singh to a sickening assault including headbutting, punching and kicking him while he was on the floor," the police said.

Having carried out CCTV enquiries, officers identified Margol and arrested him at an address a few miles away later that day.

When he was arrested, Margol made a significant comment to the arresting officers: "It's about what happened today... about the beating."

Anakh Singh's family paid tribute to the "loving husband, father and a well-respected member of the community".

"This loss has left us heartbroken and has forever changed our lives. We miss him dearly. We would also like to thank everyone who has supported us during this tough time," they said.

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New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday night spoke to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian over the phone and discussed the "serious situation" in West Asia.

Modi expressed deep concern over the escalation of tensions in the region and the loss of civilian lives as well as damage to civilian infrastructure.

The prime minister told the Iranian President that the safety and security of Indian nationals, along with the need for unhindered transit of goods and energy, remain India's top priorities.

“Had a conversation with Iranian President, Dr Masoud Pezeshkian, to discuss the serious situation in the region. Expressed deep concern over the escalation of tensions and the loss of civilian lives as well as damage to civilian infrastructure,” Modi said in a post on X.

The prime minister also reiterated India's commitment to peace and stability and urged dialogue and diplomacy to end the crisis.

The prime minister had spoken to leaders of several West Asian countries in the last 10 days in the wake of the coordinated offensive launched against Iran by the United States and Israel, in which the Islamic country's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, was killed last month.

In retaliation, Iran has fired drones and missiles at Israel and US military installations around the Gulf region, including the global business and aviation hubs of Dubai and Doha.

Modi earlier spoke to the leaders of Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan, Israel and Qatar, and expressed concern over the attacks on their countries, and condemned the violation of some nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

He also discussed the welfare and security of the Indian community residing in those countries.

Around 1 crore Indians live in the Gulf and West Asia. While about 10,000 Indian citizens live, study and work in Iran, more than 40,000 live in Israel.