A KILLER showed no remorse after he was jailed for life for the "execution" of popular Shawlands shopkeeper Asad Shah .

Tanveer Ahmed, 32, was told at Glasgow’s High Court on Tuesday that he will spend a minimum of 27 years in prison for the murder of the 40-year-old on March 24.

The killing, which was described by Lady Rae as an execution, happened at Mr Shah convenience store in Minard Road.

Mr Shah, an Ahmadi Muslim who moved from Pakistan to Glasgow in 1998, was discovered outside his shop with stab wounds and rushed to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

He had wished Christians a "very happy Easter" on Facebook hours before the brutal murder.

Taxi driver Ahmed was arrested and following a court hearing in April he released a statement through his lawyer saying Mr Shah had "disrespected the message of the Prophet Muhammad".

He said the shopkeeper "claimed to be a prophet" and that "if I had not done this others would".

The court was previously told Ahmed, a Sufi Muslim, drove from Bradford to Glasgow on the day of the murder and engaged in a discussion with Mr Shah at his store before pulling out a knife and attacking the shopkeeper.

En route to Glasgow he had watched online footage of Mr Shah and made the comment "something needs to be done, it needs nipped in the bud".

Mr Shah fled violence in Pakistan to join his family in Scotland in 1998 and was granted asylum.

Ahmadis differ from the majority of Muslims in that they do not hold that Muhammad is the final Prophet.

Evidence gathered showed that Mr Shah had posted videos on Facebook and YouTube which could be seen as him claiming that he was a Prophet.

Lady Rae said the murder was a "brutal, barbaric and horrific crime resulting from intolerance."

She told the court the CCTV footage captured during the murder was "an appalling display of merciless violence".

She said: "You repeatedly stabbed Mr Shah and when his shop assistant bravely disarmed you, you did not desist but, determined to end his life, you continued the assault by repeatedly and forcefully punching, kicking and stamping on your victim's head and neck.

"You ignored the pleas of Mr Shah's brother to stop the attack. Such was the force of your repeated blows that some of the head and neck injuries found at the post mortem were described as being more commonly seen in victims of road accidents."

The court heard Ahmed, from Bradford, was highly regarding within his own community.

The Judge said she had received glowing references and touching letters from Ahmed's children.

When Ahmed was taken down to the cells, he raised a clenched fist and shouted loudly: "Praise for the Prophet Muhammad, there is only one Prophet."

Some of his supporters in the courtroom responded by raising their arms and repeating the phrase.

Female relatives of Ahmed were in tears as they left the court.

Police Scotland officers said from the outset that they believed the attack was religiously prejudiced.

Chief Superintendent Brian McInulty, Local Policing Commander for Greater Glasgow Division, said, "Our thoughts continue to be with the family of Asad Shah, whose presence in the community is very much missed by everyone who knew him.

"I hope that the sentencing today will reassure the immediate community in Glasgow's south-side as well as communities all across Scotland that acts of violence such as this are utterly unacceptable and cannot be justified.

"Glasgow is a strong, united, multi-faith community that has immense pride in its diversity. In fact, our communities celebrate this diversity, with people from all backgrounds, faiths and culture living, working and socialising together. Religious intolerance in any form is simply not tolerated in our society and Police Scotland will work in partnership with our communities to eradicate such behaviour, to ensure that no individual, group or community feels isolated, marginalised or threatened."