Cabbie killer's mum and brother escape jail

Cabbie killer's mum and brother 'fortunate' to escape jail

Annette and Thomas Aujila arrive at Maidstone Crown Court. Picture: Peter Still

Killer: Luke Aujila

by Keith Hunt

The mother and a brother of murderer Luke Aujila avoided a jail sentence for perverting the course of justice.

Annette Aujila, 43, and her 25-year-old son Thomas tampered with vital evidence in an attempt to help Luke Aujila avoid arrest.

Mrs Aujila, of Dorchester Road, Gravesend, washed a bloodstained T-shirt her son had been wearing when he attacked taxi driver Gian Chand Bajar, 71, and ran over him with is own cab on May 23 last year.

Thomas Aujila, of Gordon Road, Northfleet, disposed of the T-shirt in a recycling bin at Lakeside shopping centre.

But Maidstone Crown Court heard that both mother and son confessed quickly to what they had done and the police investigation was not seriously hampered.

Mrs Aujila was ordered to do 200 hours unpaid work. Thomas Aujila was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment suspended for two years and 300 hours unpaid work. He will also be under supervision for two years and have to attend a Think First programme.

Judge Andrew Patience, QC, told them on Friday: "It was an act of folly. You have now besmirched your own names as well as the shame and disgrace of being members of a family of a murderer.

"You should consider yourselves fortunate I have not sent you both to prison, because, in the event, what each of you did, did not adversely affect the proper prosecution of Luke Aujila for murder."

Aujila, 21, of no fixed address, was jailed for life for Mr Bajar's murder on Thursday and will have to serve 20 years before being considered for parole.

Source : http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kol08/article/default.asp?article_id=42424