Shumsheer Ghumman posed as an investigative journalist to find a professional
killer prepared to accept f1,000 to murder British oil company boss Philip
Rhind at his home in Cape Town.
Claiming to be researching an article about gangsters, Ghumman used the
then-recent "honeymoon hijacking" murder of Anni Dewani as
involving the type of cold-blooded criminal he was looking for.
"I want to meet someone who has absolutely no compunction about behaving
with appalling violence", court documents reveal Ghumman wrote to an
unwitting middleman. "The type of individuals who carjacked Anni and
Shrien Dewani ... would be ideal", he allegedly emailed.
When the would-be assassin pulled out of the plot, Ghumman allegedly tried to
do the job himself by throwing petrol bombs at the Rhind's luxury seafront
villa.
Ghumman, 32, appeared in Cape Town's Regional Court on Tuesday charged with
fraud, incitement to commit murder, attempted murder and malicious injury to
property.
Prosecutor Billy Downer revealed how Ghumman developed his obsession with Miss
Rhind two years ago while he was working for Japanese firm Daiwa Asset
Management in London.
Having initially met at a dinner party, Ghumman proceeded to "bombard"
the attractive blonde with "a series of emails, telephone calls and SMS
messages", Mr Downer told the court.
The unwanted attention escalated, ultimately prompting Miss Rhind's father
Philip to get involved.
But this apparently only served to further anger Ghumman, who emailed the oil
company chief executive: "You can do whatever you like. However you can
rest assured that whatever is done to me will be returned with generous
interest."
In September last year Ghumman, who is an Australian citizen of Indian
heritage, was convicted of harassment at a London court.
Ghumman on Tuesday pleaded not guilty to all the charges bar the malicious
injury to property charge. The trial continues.
