Nicholas Van Hoogstraten - Mohammed Raja Case

Mohammed Raja Case

In July 2002, van Hoogstraten was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment for the manslaughter of Mohammed Raja, after being found not guilty of murder: a jury at the Old Bailey decided that "although he wanted Mr Raja harmed, he had not wanted him murdered". This conviction was quashed in July 2004 by Judge Sir Stephen Mitchell who agreed that "there was no foundation for a manslaughter case." On 19 December 2005 the family of Raja, in a civil action against van Hoogstraten, were awarded £6 million by Mr Justice Lightman, after the court found that the balance of probabilities was "that the recruitment of the two thugs was for the purpose of murdering Mr Raja and not merely frightening or hurting him". Van Hoogstraten is not held to be guilty of Mr Raja's murder or manslaughter under British criminal law: this requires proof beyond reasonable doubt rather than on balance of probabilities. Van Hoogstraten is alleged to have told the BBC that Mr Raja's family "will never get a penny". Van Hoogstraten explained to The Sunday Times that he had "no assets at all now in the UK," having placed those assets in the names of the five children he has fathered with a series of black African girlfriends.