Case was one of the most complicated ever faced by the CPS (From Daily Echo)

Case was one of the most complicated ever faced by the CPS

3:25pm Tuesday 25th November 2008 in Hannah Foster

The case of Maninder Pal Singh Kohli, believed to be the first Indian national to have been extradited from India to face trial in this country, was one of the most complicated to be handled by the Crown Prosecution Service in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

For more than four years, said Alastair Nisbet, Head of the Complex Casework Unit for the Crown Prosecution Service Wessex Group, the CPS worked with the police and Indian authorities to bring Kohli back to stand trial.

Kohli was finally extradited in 2007 to face trial for the 2003 abduction, rape and murder of Hannah Foster, a Southampton teenager.

Mr Nisbet said: "The case against Kohli, though circumstantial, was overwhelming. An inferred DNA profile taken from members of his family provided a strong indication that he was the murderer. Once a DNA sample had been obtained from him, a match was made with DNA found on Hannah's body and her DNA was found in the van that Kohli used.

"Cross referencing of Hannah's mobile phone records and CCTV and Automatic Number Plate Recognition Cameras showing the location of Kohli's van put them close together on the night that Hannah was abducted.

"Kohli's defence was that he was the victim of a plot to frame him for Hannah's rape and murder, during which he was kidnapped and forced to have sex with Hannah, who was later killed by someone else. The jury have rejected that defence.

"Many people were involved in bringing Kohli to justice, both here and in India, and we would like to take this opportunity to thank Hampshire Constabulary, the Indian authorities and colleagues at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for the exceptional close working that has secured Kohli's extradition and conviction.

Kohli's decision to flee the country and, later, to attempt to defend himself in the face of the evidence, prolonged the ordeal of Hannah's family and friends, who are uppermost in our thoughts today.

"Mr and Mrs Foster have waited a very long time for Hannah's killer to be brought to justice, and we hope that they can now find some peace."