One of the men accused of the brutal murder of a Keighley father-of-two has denied being involved.
Giving evidence in his defence at Sheffield Crown Court on Monday, Hakeem Gulzar said: “I wasn’t there.”
Suhail Choudry was assaulted by a group wielding metal poles and similar weapons shortly after 3am on February 8 this year on Flasby Street in Keighley.
He suffered 52 marks and injuries including multiple skull fractures as well as extensive brain injuries and died in Leeds General Infirmary three days later.
6 men deny murder
Six men — described as being involved in the fatal assault or being drivers or look-outs — deny murder and other offences.
They are Mohammed Aliyaan Khan, Faisal Khan, Majid Hussain, Waseem Islam, Rashid Hussain, and Hakeem Gulzar.
Three others remain at large and may have left the country.
They include Mohammed Safyaan Ishaq and Abbas Shazad.
At the murder trial last week Rashid Hussain denied receiving or making phone calls in which anybody mentioned going to injure or kill anyone.
'I wasn't there'
On Monday, giving evidence in his defence, Gulzar was asked about an interview with the police in which he said: “It was nothing to do with me.”
Questioned by his barrister Michael Holland KC, he said: “That’s the truth” and added, “I wasn’t there.”
In his opening to the trial last month, prosecution barrister John Harrison KC suggested that Rashid Hussain and Majid Hussain were organisers and were present at the scene of the attack.
Mohammed Aliyaan Khan and Faisal Khan were allegedly two of the four attackers.
It is alleged that Waseem Islam was a look-out who helped the group to locate Mr Choudry.
Mr Harrison suggested that Gulzar was a driver who helped the group get away after the attack.
A central point of the prosecution case is that each man was either an attacker or a helper/encourager — and that “all intended Mr Choudry to be attacked and caused really serious harm or killed.”
Murder accused gives defence
On Monday, Gulzar told the court that he was called at 3.35am on February 8 by his friend “Sufi” — Mohammed Safyaan Ishaq — who said he had broken down and needed picking up “from the top of Oakworth”.
Gulzar drove his Audi A3 to Tim Lane, a rural road in Oakworth, where he picked up Safyaan, his close friend Mohammed Aliyaan Khan, and a third man who he did not know.
The court heard that Safyaan complained that he was supposed to have been picked up by “Bassi” — Abbas Shazad — but that he had got lost.
The Audi was then passed by a Volkswagen which, Safyaan allegedly said, contained Shazad.
Gulzar said he was told “Just drive, bro” and there followed an unexpected diversion over the county border to Nelson in Lancashire and then to Burnley.
During the journey, said Gulzar, “Sufi did mention that he’s had a fight and he’s smashing cars up, but I didn’t realise it was anything to do with me giving him a lift.”
He said Safyaan was “acting calm” and there was no indication that it was anything as serious as murder.
He said he was reluctant to drive to Lancashire but that after Safyaan asked, “Why are you being a bitch?” he felt he had to do it.
After looping into Lancashire, Gulzar returned to Yorkshire where, Gulzar said, his Audi began juddering on the Keighley Bypass and broke down.
He said Safyaan called Shazad to collect him, Gulzar, and the others, who were “cramped” into the back seats of a silver estate car.
Gulzar said Safyaan was dropped off home first, and then himself at about 7am.
'I started to get scared'
He told the court he heard of Suhail Choudry’s murder on waking up sometime after midday.
He said: “It was later on in the evening when stuff on social media started to get a bit warmed up. Sufi’s name was getting mentioned quite a bit.
“I started to get scared. I got worried thinking that ‘I gave him a lift last night, and what’s he got me involved in?’”
Mr Holland told the jury that there was no scientific evidence that related to Gulzar.
Asked why he gave a largely “no comment” interview to the police, Gulzar said: “At the time I was scared for my family’s safety.
"I didn’t want anything to happen to my family — for them to be targeted or anything like that if I gave a statement.
“At that point I was just receiving threats. Nothing had actually happened at that point. It happened afterwards.”
Gulzar said he abandoned his Audi A3 in Bingley but sold it prior to being arrested in the early hours of February 21 because he was scared.
He said: “I didn’t want people to think I was involved in this. I didn’t want to have any sort of connection to Safyaan.”
Mr Holland asked Gulzar: “So far as these offences are concerned, did you have any part in planning an attack on Suhail Choudry?”
Gulzar replied: “No, I did not.”
Mr Holland added: “Other than going to Tim Lane to give Sufi a lift, did you have any active involvement in these events at all?”
Gulzar replied: “No, I did not.”
Hakeem Gulzar, 28, of Plover Street, Keighley; Rashid Hussain, 41, of Redcliffe Street, Keighley; Faisal Khan, 26, of Malsis Road, Keighley; Mohammed Aliyaan Khan, 23, of Malsis Road, Keighley; and Majid Hussain, 42, of no fixed abode, Keighley, all deny murder, violent disorder, and having an offensive weapon in a public place.
Waseem Khan, 40, of East Avenue, Keighley, denies murder.
The trial continues.
Share