Hoogstraten is found guilty of having business rival killed

One of Britain's wealthiest men was found guilty yesterday of having a business rival killed. The verdict ended a three-month trial during which two important witnesses refused to give evidence.

Nicholas van Hoogstraten, 57, who is thought to be worth up to £400m, was cleared of murder but found guilty of manslaughter for hiring the killers of Mohammed Sabir Raja. The two career criminals, Robert Knapp and David Croke, stabbed the 62-year-old in front of his two grandsons before shooting him in the face with a sawn-off shotgun.

Yesterday, detectives confirmed that a file had been sent to Lord Goldsmith QC, the Attorney General, over the refusal of Van Hoogstraten's 18-year-old girlfriend, Tanika Sali, to give evidence. She had earlier told police that the tycoon had described Knapp, who was jailed for life yesterday with his co-defendant Croke, as "one of my hitmen". Before refusing to give evidence in front of the jury, she was questioned over a new outfit she had worn to the court. She maintained it had been bought with a "whip-round" by friends.

In the absence of the jury, the judge, Mr Justice Newman was told that a second key witness, Micheel Abu Hamdan, a Lebanese business associate of Van Hoogstraten's, had fled to Beirut rather than give evidence against Van Hoogstraten. Describing Mr Abu Hamdan's decision to leave in fear of his life, Detective Inspector Andrew Sladen told the judge: "He said he had been told ... that Van Hoogstraten had said he would not make it to the end of the trial".

Mr Justice Newman postponed sentencing Van Hoogstraten until October so psychiatric assessments could be made. However, he said he could not rule out imposing a discretionary life sentence on him.

Croke, 59, of Brighton, East Sussex, and Knapp, 55, of Co Limerick, both criminals with a string of convictions for violence and armed robbery, refused to come to court to hear Mr Justice Newman sentence them to life imprisonment. The judge said: "It is the place of everyone to consider what brings men to take a sawn-off shotgun and a knife to an elderly man and, having stabbed him fatally, to shoot him in the head at a range of six to 12 inches. In this case, no remorse between the stabbing and the shooting; no hesitation, simply delay, simply to reload the shotgun. No holding back in the presence of the grandsons, no apparent concern for the horror they had to witness, no remorse in this court; no motive, save one – greed, greed for some money or the receipt of favours."

After the hearing, Amjad Raja, 41, one of the victim's six children, said he felt relieved that justice had been done at last.