Surrey man jailed for manslaughter of father-of-two

Shaan Mir ran down Matthew Tester in April

Author: Matthew HutchinsonPublished 16th Dec 2021

A man has been jailed for 15 years, after he ran down and reversed over another man in Surrey.

Shaan Mir, of Arlington Lodge in Weybridge, was sentenced for the manslaughter of father-of two Matthew 'Tik' Tester.

On 22 April, the 27-year-old used his car to run over Tester and another man, following a confrontation in a car park on Church Street, in Walton-on-Thames.

Tester died at the scene - he was 49 at the time. The second man was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries, but survived.

'We’ve lost a son, brother, husband, father, and a wonderful friend'

Steve Tester, Matthew’s brother, said: "It‘s now been over seven months since Matthew left us. He was killed in a brutal and tragic attack which rocked our entire world. We’ve lost a son, brother, husband, father, uncle, and a wonderful friend.

"While the manslaughter verdict requires that his killer will serve many years in custody, the fact that the jury didn’t return a verdict of murder is crushing for all of us.

"This was both a senseless and wholly avoidable death, perpetrated by someone with evidently no compassion or sense of decency. The sheer brutality, along with the events which followed, showed an absolute absence of guilt, remorse, or contrition".

Witnesses reported seeing the violent attack unfold, after a group of men had a disagreement in the car park.

The driver of the vehicle used in the attack was quickly identified as Shaan Mir and police launched a major search to track him down.

At around 7.30pm that evening, Mir was arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder at his home address. His car was also found abandoned, with the engine still running, in Addlestone.

Officers noticed that Mir had shaved his head. He later admitted doing this in an attempt to change his appearance and evade detection.

'Mir’s violent behaviour in the car park that afternoon has ruined many lives'

Senior Investigating Officer Detective Chief Inspector David Springett, from the Surrey and Sussex Major Crime Team, said: "Our thoughts are with Tik’s family and friends, who have been left devastated by his death.

"Mir’s violent behaviour in the car park that afternoon has ruined many lives and devastated others who have been significantly affected by what happened to them that day.

"My team worked tirelessly on this investigation to ensure that Mir was brought to justice, and I hope that the local community feel safer knowing that he has been sent to prison for what he has done".

Mir was sentenced at Guildford Crown Court on Thursday 16 December.

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