'Body in the bag' pair jailed for life

Two men have been jailed for life for the murder of a pensioner whose decomposed body was found dumped in a bag on wasteland in Sheffield.

In August 1998 Hassan Nasser, 44, cut his father's throat and then sealed the body in a purpose-built tomb in the basement of their home in Doncaster, South Yorkshire.

His son, Kassan Mohammed, 21, helped him and together they continued to claim the old man's pension.

After you murdered Mr Ali you then embarked on an appalling process of concealment, dishonesty and fraud.

Mr Justice Maurice Kay

But when Nasser, an asylum seeker from Yemen, decided to sell the house in October 1999 the pair were forced to dig up the body. They poured diesel fuel over it, wrapped it in plastic and an eiderdown, stuffed it into a large holdall and dumped it on waste ground in the Attercliffe area of Sheffield.

The "body in the bag" was discovered by two men in January last year and so began a lengthy murder inquiry.

Police, using BBC's Crimewatch UK programme, eventually identified the dead man as Mohammed Nasser Ali, 75, a retired cutler and prominent member of Sheffield's Yemeni community.

'Violent and brutal'

Nasser and Mohammed's trial was told the men banked more than £9,000 by fraudulently claiming the victim's pension.

Passing sentence the judge, Mr Justice Maurice Kay, said the killing was as "violent and brutal" as was possible to imagine.

Police reconstructed Mr Ali's head for a TV appeal

He said: "The motive was financial, relating to the fact that Mr Ali was indicating an intention to return to the Yemen with a view to marrying and remaining there.

"After you murdered Mr Ali you then embarked on an appalling process of concealment, dishonesty and fraud.

"You buried him in the cellar of the house in a purpose-built tomb where he remained for over two years.

"You only removed his body from there so as to facilitate a sale of the house. During that time you both helped yourselves to his continuing pension."

Mr Justice Kay accepted Kassan had not been involved in the actual killing but said he had been involved in its planning.

He told him: "I have not the slightest doubt you were the lesser party. During a period of time you fell under the malign influence of your father.

"You were 17 at the time - until these events you were making something of your life in a decent way. However, you too became involved in a most wicked crime."

Afterwards Detective Superintendent Bob Varey, who led the inquiry, said: "We always knew if we could identify the body we could find out what had happened.

"I was always confident the facial reconstruction would crack the case."