William Horncy

Case details

William Horncy (born 1954) was a British murderer. He was convicted of murdering millionaire Amarjit Chohan, as well as Chohan’s wife, mother-in-law and two sons; the bodies of Chohan’s two sons were never found. Horncy was convicted together with Kenneth Regan, and Peter Rees was convicted of murdering Mr Chohan but cleared of the other four murder charges. Horncy was sentenced to life imprisonment and was among prisoners issued with whole life tariffs and unlikely to be released.

Timeline

• February 2003 — Amarjit Chohan, his wife Nancy, their two young sons Devinder and Ravinder, and Mrs Chohan’s mother Charanjit Kaur disappeared from their Hounslow home.
• 13 Feb (2003) — Mr Chohan disappeared after going to meet a man allegedly interested in buying Ciba Freight; he was abducted by Regan, Horncy and Peter Rees and taken to Regan’s father’s home near Salisbury, Wiltshire.
• 15 Feb (2003) — Regan and Horncy traveled to Hounslow and gained entry to Mr Chohan’s home; they killed Mr Chohan’s wife Nancy, his young sons Ravinder and Devinder, and Charanjit Kaur; the bodies were taken to the West Country.
• 16 Feb (2003) — Mr Chohan was forced to sign blank letters and make phone calls; later that night he was killed.
• 17 Feb (2003) — Regan turned up at Ciba Freight’s office with a power of attorney signed under duress by Mr Chohan and started running the company.
• 19 Feb (2003) — The five bodies were loaded onto a hired van and driven to Belinda Brewin’s farm near Tiverton, Devon; Regan, Horncy and Rees dug a ditch and buried the bodies covered with aggregate.
• 21 Feb (2003) — Regan took Mr Chohan’s car to a friend in Southampton who agreed to dispose of it.
• 5 Mar (2003) — Onkar Verma traveled to London from New Zealand to put pressure on police to find out what had happened to his sister.
• 19 Mar (2003) — The case was referred to Scotland Yard’s Serious Crime Group; a week later a detective interviewed Regan for the first time.
• 19 Apr (Easter Saturday, 2003) — Regan returned with Horncy and Rees and dug up the five bodies.
• 20 Apr (Easter Sunday, 2003) — Regan, Horncy and Rees took the bodies out to sea and dumped them off Dorset.
• 21 Apr (Easter Monday, 2003) — Police monitored Regan and Horncy at a fictional rendezvous in Newport, south Wales; neither Mr Chohan nor his supposed kidnappers turned up.
• 22 Apr (2003) — A body was found floating in the sea off Bournemouth pier.
• 29 Apr (2003) — The body was confirmed to be that of Mr Chohan; that night Regan and Horncy fled by ferry to France and then traveled to Spain; Rees also went on the run.
• 30 Apr (2003) — Police began excavating the field in Devon; DNA belonging to the Chohan family and other incriminating items were later discovered.
• 14 May (2003) — Rees was arrested in a pub in Coleford in the Forest of Dean.
• 15 Jul (2003) — A body was discovered by fishermen off the Isle of Wight; it was later identified as Nancy Chohan.
• 2 Aug (2003) — Regan was arrested at a campsite in Ghent, Belgium.
• 7 Sep (2003) — A third body was washed up on the Isle of Wight; it was later identified as Charanjit Kaur.
• 8 Nov (2004) — Regan, Horncy and Rees went on trial at the Old Bailey; all denied murder and false imprisonment.
• 1 Jul 2005 — Regan and Horncy were convicted of murders; Rees was convicted of murdering Mr Chohan and of assisting an offender, but cleared of the other four murder charges.
• 5 Jul 2005 — Two men who murdered a millionaire and three generations of his family were jailed for life; Peter Rees was also jailed for life, and the judge told Regan and Horncy they should never be released.
• 23 Feb 2008 — The Times reported that Horncy was among 50 prisoners who were issued with whole life tariffs and are unlikely ever to be released.

Background

Amarjit Chohan, an Indian-born millionaire, lived in west London. He had been involved in exporting pallet loads of “chat” to the United States. He and his family disappeared from their Hounslow home in February 2003.

Kenneth Regan was described as a convicted drug dealer and a police informant. Peter Rees was a man convicted of murdering Mr Chohan but cleared of other four murder charges.

The offence

Regan planned to take over Mr Chohan’s successful CIBA freight company to use it as a front for importing drugs. The plan involved trying to make it seem that Mr Chohan had given up his business and gone abroad.

Mr Chohan was abducted and held against his will for several days. The jury was told that Mr Chohan was gagged and forced to sign over his company before he was murdered. The trial was told that the defendants killed Mr Chohan, as well as his wife Nancy, his sons Ravinder and Devinder, and Mrs Chohan’s mother Charanjit Kaur.

The two young sons Devinder and Ravinder were murdered, but their bodies were never found.

A note was found in Mr Chohan’s sock pointing to Horncy as being his killer. Police believed Mr Chohan had been held captive for several days before his death and that when he realized he was going to be murdered he concealed the letter addressed to Horncy’s father. Detectives also believed that the family were wiped out at the hands of the defendants.

Investigation and events around discovery

Bodies were taken to the farm in Tiverton, Devon, and buried under aggregate. As police inquiries were about to turn to a farm in Tiverton, Devon where the defendants had buried the family, the men returned to dig up the bodies.

On Easter Sunday 2003, the bodies were taken out to sea and dumped. Mr Chohan’s body was found floating in the water near Bournemouth pier two days later. His wife’s body was found in the same area in July, and Mrs Kaur was found in November in a bay off the Isle of Wight.

Police still did not know how Mr Chohan died and said they would ask the men to tell them where to find the bodies of Ravinder and Devinder.

Arrest and detention

Regan was arrested at a campsite in Ghent, Belgium on 2 Aug 2003.

Horncy returned to Dover and gave himself up on 2 Sep 2003.

Rees was arrested in a pub in Coleford in the Forest of Dean on 14 May 2003.

Trial

An eight-month trial took place at the Old Bailey. The jury deliberated for 13 days before reaching its verdict. During the trial, Regan and Horncy were convicted of murders. Rees was convicted of Mr Chohan’s murder and of assisting an offender, but cleared of the other four murder charges.

All defendants denied murder and false imprisonment at trial.

Sentencing

On 5 Jul 2005, Regan and Horncy were jailed for life. The judge told Regan and Horncy they should never be released, and said Rees had to serve at least 23 years.

Judge Sir Stephen Mitchell, passing sentence, told Horncy and Regan they were “highly dangerous men”. He said:

“Your crimes are uniquely terrible.”
“The cold-blooded murders of an eight-week-old baby and an 18-month-old toddler, not to mention the murders of their mother, father and grandmother, provide a chilling insight into the utterly perverted standards by which you have lived your lives.”
“Your characters are as despicable as your crimes. Each of you is a practised, resourceful and manipulative liar.”

Horncy was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Appeals

After the conviction, Horncy’s legal team maintained that he was innocent and was planning to appeal.

On 23 Feb 2008, The Times reported that Horncy was among 50 prisoners who were issued with whole life tariffs and are unlikely ever to be released.

Outcome

• Horncy was convicted of murdering Amarjit Chohan, his wife Nancy, his mother-in-law Charanjit Kaur, and his two sons Devinder and Ravinder.
• The bodies of Devinder and Ravinder were never found.
• Peter Rees was convicted of Mr Chohan’s murder but cleared of the other four murder charges.
• Regan and Horncy were sentenced to life imprisonment and were told they should never be released; Rees was ordered to serve at least 23 years.

Aftermath and statements

Detect Det Insp Dave Little, who led the investigation, described the crime as a crime “utterly beyond the comprehension of decent society” and said:

“A young family, a new family, was entirely wiped out at the hands of these murderous men, in an attempt to line their own pockets,”

A Chohan family friend, Suresh Grover, read out a statement on behalf of Onkar Verma saying:

“The last two years have been a living nightmare. ”
“The deliberate, premeditated slaughter of my innocent family is akin to me being given a life sentence - a life with no laughter, no happiness and no joy.”

Police believed that the family were held captive and murdered, and they stated they would ask the men to tell them where to find the bodies of Ravinder and Devinder.

Other details

Belinda Brewin was mentioned in connection with a farm near Tiverton, Devon. Regan was said to have planned to use CIBA Freight as a front for importing drugs.

Regan was described as having been arrested in possession of heroin in 1998 and later jailed for eight years after agreeing to turn Queen’s evidence. In 2000 Dec, Regan was given a concurrent eight-year sentence for his part in a huge fake passport racket, and he gave evidence against his friend Bill Horncy among others. Regan was released from jail in 2002 Jun after serving four years.

In February 2003, Onkar Verma traveled from New Zealand to pressure police to find out what had happened to his sister.