I Know It Was You

Chapter 7

SEVEN

The clincher came when the forensic examination of Doherty hoodie sweatshirt revealed traces of Mohammed Khan’s blood.

Even though Doherty’s mother had washed the sweatshirt in the washing machine, she had washed it in a cold wash cycle using a non-biological powder, in a mistaken belief that it was the most effective method of washing away blood stains. She was wrong and Mohammed Khan’s DNA was identified on the sleeve and the front of the sweatshirt.

Even when confronted with this evidence, Doherty continued to deny his guilt, loudly accusing the police of ‘fitting him up’ just because he did not like ‘Pakis taking over the country.’ and then reverted to ‘no comment’ for all subsequent questions.

Eoin Doherty was then charged with the murder of Mohammed Khan, remanded in custody and then tried at Sheffield Crown Court five months later.

At the trial, Grace gave her evidence in a clear and professional manner. The Policy File clearly indicated the steps taken by Grace and her team to identify Eoin Doherty including the dash-cam footage shown to the jury. The forensic DNA evidence was irrefutable and Erika Berger, the Home Office pathologist was able to demonstrate that blade of the kitchen knife exactly fitted in the wound to Mohammed’s chest. The defence tried to claim that the knife wound could have been caused by any knife of similar size but was unable to seriously refute the forensic evidence.

However, even when confronted with all the evidence, Doherty still denied he was the killer and relied on the alibi given by his mother and his two brothers that he had been at home playing on his PlayStation at the time.

The jury quickly returned a verdict of guilty for the murder of Mohammed Khan and Doherty was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of twenty-three years, additional time added due to the racial aspects of the murder.

As he was led from the dock, he gave the Judge the Nazi salute as several members of the EDL in the public gallery chanted his name in support.

Bernice, Gerry, and Martin Doherty were later all convicted of attempting to p*****t the course of justice and received lengthy jail terms. On their release from prison, the Doherty family will face eviction from their council house, much to the delight of their long-suffering neighbours.

Grace and Terry took their team out to celebrate the result A nasty racist thug had been taken off the streets and his victim’s family finally had some sense of justice.

‘But what a waste of a human life,’ Grace said. ‘A moment’s anger, a sudden stab with a knife, and a very good man lies bleeding in the road whilst scum like Eoin Doherty could still have thirty or forty years of life even after leaving prison.’ Grace was not an advocate of capital punishment but did sometimes feel that it would be appropriate in some cases.

However, the killing of Mohammed Khan was not the only murder that Grace had under investigation.