LONDON, UK—Two Lithuanian men have appeared in court today charged with the manslaughter of father-of-two, Shammi Singh Atwal who was killed by a moving lorry after chasing robbers from his cash and carry store.
Shammi Singh Atwal confronted gang members armed with metal bars and a sledgehammer and defended his wife during a robbery at their business in Barking, east London.
Vidmantas Gonskoves, 26, of Grange Road in West Ham, east London, and Aurimas Diliunas, 27, of Rosslyn Road, Barking, have appeared at Redbridge Magistrates’ Court today accused of manslaughter and robbery.
Mr Atwal, from Chigwell in Essex , believed to have been in his 40s, and his 37-year-old widow tried to fight back as they were being robbed on Monday 14 October 2013.
Following an altercation, up to 10 suspects ran from the cash and carry and were followed by the victim.
Police believe he was pushed in front of a lorry and despite efforts to save his life, he was pronounced dead at the scene. The lorry’s driver stopped at the scene and was not arrested.
A post-mortem took place on Wednesday 16 October 2013 at Queen’s Hospital in Romford, east London, and investigators are awaiting further toxicology results to determine the exact cause of death.
