Brothers Convicted Over Brighton Hit-And-Run Murder

Two brothers have been convicted over a fatal hit-and-run crash which killed Suel Miguel Monteiro Delgado, a promising young footballer.

According to the Crown Prosecution Service, 34-year-old Iftekhar Khondaker was found guilty of murder and two counts of attempted murder at Lewes Crown Court today (Monday 25).

Suel Delgado, aged 20 at the time, was sent flying by a BMW driving on the wrong side of the road beside Brighton Pier in December 2019 and later died of his injuries.

[image: Sussex Police]

He was among three people who were crossing the road along Brighton seafront in the early hours of 1 December 2019, when they were hit by a car driven by Iftekhar Khondaker.

The court heard that the victims were all part of a group that Khondaker, his brother and another man had been fighting with just a few minutes earlier.

The fight, which started further along the seafront, woke up people who were staying in nearby hotel rooms.

After it broke up, one group walked towards the Brighton Palace Pier and crossed the road, but three of them were hit by the car.

Suel Delgado died of his injuries in hospital a few hours later, while the remaining two both suffered severe and life-changing injuries.

Iftekhar's brother, 27-year-old Irfan Khondaker, was convicted of assisting an offender.

The court heard that he called an Uber to pick them up from near the crash scene and take them home to south London.

Alice Trodden from the CPS said:

“Despite the defendant’s claims that the crash was an accident and it was just coincidence that he hit some of the people he had been fighting with moments earlier, the evidence clearly showed this to be a lie.

“Khondaker had every intention of killing his victims and deliberately drove at the group. This was shown by the fact that he was still accelerating along the wrong side of the road when the car hit the three men and that he made no attempt whatsoever to avoid the collision.

“In the space of just a few seconds, he killed one man and forever changed the lives of his two other victims, leaving them with injuries that are still impacting on them today.”

Detective Chief Inspector Chris Friday of the Surrey and Sussex Major Crime Team, who led the investigation said: 

"Our thoughts at this time are with the family and friends of all those affected by this. Although Suel paid the ultimate price, this terrible act will have a lasting effect on his friends and their families who survived or witnessed this attack. I hope that we have provided some answers as to how Suel met his death, and crucially who was responsible. Ultimately, we sought to identify who committed what is the most serious crime of all. I would like to thank the jury for their time, commitment and due diligence in  bringing about this verdict.

"From the moment that this incident was reported this has been a fast moving and dynamic investigation, where my team worked tirelessly over many days, collating all evidence from the scene and securing evidence to charge them both.

"This took many days, during which I am aware Marine Parade was closed to traffic. I realise this was inconvenient for many, and I am grateful to the public in their understanding and cooperation. I would like to recognise the courage of the witnesses who came forward to support us in achieving this result and to also thank the jury for their time, commitment and due diligence in  bringing about this verdict."