A LAUGHING, smirking killer who shot dead a stranger in the street was due to be sentenced today.
Kiaran “Psycho” Stapleton was convicted yesterday of murdering Indian student Anuj Bidve, 23, in Salford in the early hours of Boxing Day last year.
A jury at Manchester Crown Court rejected his defence he had committed manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
Stapleton, 21, was seen by witnesses to laugh as he stood over the body of his victim before he ran off.
He often grinned and laughed during his five-week murder trial.
And he beamed as he came into court for the verdict and again towards a family member as he was led from the dock.
After the verdict, Mr Bidve’s father, Subhash, said he believed Stapleton should never be freed from prison.
His son had arrived in the UK to study micro-electronics at Lancaster University and was visiting Manchester with a group of friends last Christmas.
They left their hotel in the early hours of Boxing Day to queue early for the sales when their paths crossed with Stapleton’s.
He calmly walked across the road and asked for the time.
When someone finally answered he pulled out a handgun and fired one shot to Mr Bidve’s left temple.
Stapleton had said he picked his victim because “he had the biggest head”, the court heard.
Speaking ahead of sentencing yesterday, Mr Justice King said Stapleton would only be released from jail if he was no longer considered to pose a danger to the public.