LONDON: A Canterbury University student was the “hitman for hire” who orchestrated the attack on Shahzad Akbar on December 24 last year, and he was the “controller” of three others who were involved in attacks at both Akbar and Adil Raja, the Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard here.
Louis Regan, 25, appeared before Judge Tan Ikram, accused of plotting simultaneous assaults on Shahzad Akbar and Adil Raja at 8am on Christmas Eve last year.
The prosecution objected to the bail application made by Regan’s lawyer, informing the court that the accused was the “main controller” of the attack plot and if bailed, he would interfere with the police case and could damage evidence.
When asked by the judge about the motivation of these attacks, the prosecutor said he had no idea about the motivation and objective of these attacks. “There is no motivation established, it’s a live investigation”.
The court heard Regan is accused of leading a “planned and sophisticated” plot for both men to be attacked on their doorsteps simultaneously.
He has been charged with conspiracy to assault and occasion bodily harm at Adil Raja’s address in Chesham on December 24, 2025 and conspiracy to assault and occasion bodily harm at Shahzad Akbar’s home in Cambridge on December 24 2025 in conspiracy with Karl Scott Blackbird, Clark Anthony McAulay and Doneto Brammer, who are all accused of attacking Akbar and Raja.
Prosecutor Warren Stanier told the court: “A group attended Mr Raja’s address at 8am but Mr Raja wasn’t in. Mr Akbar was at home in Cambridgeshire when a group, led by Regan, knocked on his door. The prosecution say Mr Regan was the actual attacker who disguised himself in a workman’s uniform, hi-vis jacket, helmet, gloves and a mask.
They knocked on the door of Mr Akbar’s house, and when Mr Akbar confirmed he was the person, he was then assaulted, punched numerous times to the face, causing him bruising, cuts and a broken nose.”
The prosecutor told the court that reconnaissance trips were taken earlier to Akbar’s home and the address of Raja in Chesham, Buckinghamshire, in which Regan, a second-year sport and exercise science student at Canterbury University, took part and he was “a man willing to work for hire, to commit these kinds of violent, vicious attacks”.
Sources shared with Geo News that Regan attended both addresses for reconnaissance on December 11 alone and with Karl Blackbird on December 22 .
Deputy Chief Magistrate Tan Ikram the case against Regan as being “a hitman for hire for violence” when rejecting his bail. Regan’s girlfriend cried in the public gallery when his bail application was rejected.
The prosecution told the court that Regan, who has no previous convictions, acted as a controller in the “planned, simultaneous and sophisticated” attacks on the two Pakistanis in Cambridge and Chesham at 8am and 8:08am on December 24.
The court heard that Regan attended reconnaissance at the two address twice, prior to the attacks and was the “actual attacker” who beat Shahzad Akbar was much that “there was a large amount of blood on the floor” and Akbar fell to the ground. Regan recorded the attack on his mobile telephone and then later on shared the videos in a group with someone else.
The prosecution says that his BMW vehicle was captured on Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) but only in the Cambridge area just prior to the offence, and leaving Cambridge after the offence.
Upon fleeing the scene ANPR imagery showed Regan in front seat of vehicle with a high-visibility jacket alongside him in the car – the same jacked visible in Akbar’s home CCTV and in other evidence gathered by the police, matching the description of the person committing the attack.
The prosecutor said: “He committed the assault, recorded the video and sent in the group; where other videos were shared; he was involved in messaging and linked with three burner phones not yet seized. The current phone seized from him shows messages that he attended the reconnaissance and attended the actual address.”
Regan’s lawyer told the court that he denies the allegations made against him. She told the court that Regan was a man of good character, with background of working with school kids with mental health issues. She said Regan has been working in Dubai and has been spending a lot of time there recently working as a personal trainer.
The judge ruled that these attacks were simultaneous and well-planned and there were enough grounds that Regan will commit further offences if not remanded in custody.
The judge ruled that Regan will appear before the Central Criminal Court on February 13 with co-defendants Karl Scott Blackbird, Clark Anthony McAulay and Doneto Brammer who are all accused of conspiring with each other to assault Adil Raja and Shahzad Akbar.
