HUNDREDS of people gathered together to remember a shopkeeper one year after he was brutally murdered.

Huddersfield’s Sikhs and people of other faiths paid tribute to grandfather-of-five Gurmail Singh with a weekend of 48 hours of prayer at the Sikh temple in Springwood.

Mr Singh, 63, was battered to death with bottles of wine during a robbery at his shop Cowcliffe Convenience Stores on February 20 last year.

Secretary of the Sikh Temple, Inderpal Randhawa, said: “It is customary for this religious gathering to take place on the first anniversary following the death.

“It is good to see members of different faiths gathered here today to pay tribute to Gurmail Singh a year on from his tragic death.

“Sadly, most of you will know that Gurmail’s wife also passed away very recently and the family have only just recently returned from India where they went to scatter the ashes.

“Needless to say Gurmail and his family are devoted Sikhs and it is their faith that will help them to overcome the sad events of the last year.

“We pray for the souls of the departed and wish the family well for the future.”

Mr Singh was working in his shop on Cowcliffe Hill Road when a gang burst in. When he refused to hand over cash and cigarettes he was repeatedly hit over the head with wine bottles.

Customers from the Shepherd’s Arms pub opposite tried to stop the gang but they got away.

All the killers took was a handful of sweets, cash and cigarettes.

They were later caught and Muawaz Khalid, 20, and Nabeel Shafi, 18, were jailed for a minimum of 21 years and 20 years respectively after being convicted of his murder.

Three others were acquitted for Mr Singh’s murder but jailed for their parts in the incident.

Not long after Mr Singh’s murder his family had to cope with another tragedy when Mr Singh’s wife Mohinder Kaur, 66, lost her battle with cancer.