Fifth suspect in court over murder of Smethwick delivery driver

Sukhmandeep Singh, aged 23 from Paynels, in Orton Goldhay, Peterborough, was arrested in the Cambridgeshire town last week on suspicion of killing DPD worker Aurman Singh, 23, in Berwick Avenue, Coton Hill, Shrewsbury.

He appeared at Stafford Crown Court on Tuesday head of a plea and trial preparation hearing next month, and listened to proceedings via a Punjabi interpreter.

Judge Kristina Montgomery KC ordered for Singh to be remanded in custody ahead of that date

She told Singh ahead of his October hearing: "It is expected that your solicitors will have received the prosecution's evidence by that stage and you should be in a position to provide some instructions so the court can make progress on your case. You will be remanded in custody, to be produced on that occasion."

At the next hearing, he will be joined in the dock by fellow murder accused Arshdeep Singh, 24, of Shaw Road in Tipton; Manjot Singh, 24, of Greenfield Road, Smethwick; Jagdeep Singh, 22, of Goodrich Mews in Dudley; and Shivdeep Singh, 26, of Greenfield Road in Smethwick.

A sixth man remains on police bail after he was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.

The judge also mentioned that a provisional trial date of February 19 next year may cause the court difficulty due to there not being a judge available to hear the case. She recommended a start date of April 9 as being more convenient for the court.

The family of Aurman Singh, who was from Smethwick, paid tribute to him in a statement, saying: "There are no words that could ever explain the impact this tragedy has had on me and my family.

"Today a mother will grow old without her son. A sister will grow up without her brother. We don’t want what has happened to us to happen to another family.

"We would like to thank the police for conducting their investigation diligently and supporting us through this tough time."