A FATHER was murdered trying to protect his son from a gang who were pressuring him to drop assault charges, a court heard.

Mohammed Shafiq, of York Street, Nelson, bled to death from a stab wound after trying to stop an organised fight involving his 18-year-old son, Umar, in Thompson Park, Burnley,

Manchester Crown Court heard that Mr Shafiq’s alleged attackers had armed themselves with a seven-inch knife, a metal bar, a wheel brace and a set of numchakus before going to the park for the fight on March 4 this year.

Mohammed Shahdab Akhtar, 19, of Scott Park Road, Mohammad Bilal Bhatti, 21, of Holcombe Drive, Omar Khalid, 19, of Fairfield Drive, all Burnley, and a 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, deny murder and violent disorder.

Prosecuting Louise Blackwell QC said Shahdab Akhtar was charged with assaulting Umar Shafiq following an incident five months earlier and this had led to “tension and unease” between the pair.

She told the jury of eight women and four men, Akhtar had “repeatedly pressed” Umar Shafiq to drop the charges.

Two weeks before the murder, Akhtar, the 17-year-old defendant and Bhatti tried to force Shafiq to drop the charges, Ms Blackwell said.

He was also pressurised to abandon the case the day before the murder, she said.

Ms Blackwell told the jury that Akhtar was on bail for the assault of Umar Shafiq at the time of the murder.

She said Burnley College students Akhtar, Bhatti and Khalid were on a field trip when Bhatti received a phone call.

“It was clear that the phone call was about a fight that was going to take place that afternoon. By this stage there were rumours that a fight was going to take place involving Bilal Bhatti,” said Ms Blackwell.

Two security guards working at Burnley College heard about the rumours. One of them contacted the police and the other, a friend of Mr Shafiq’s, rang the victim, the court was told.

Mr Shafiq, a 50-year-old father of seven, then rang the police officer who was dealing with the original assault allegation on a non-emergency number but the officer was on leave and did receive the message.

He then set off to meet his son and one of his friends, Ali Akhtar, at the park.

Ms Blackwell said: “Mr Shafiq’s intention was to speak to Shahdab [Akhtar]. What he wanted was to resolve this on-going problem without resorting to violence.”

After the field trip returned back to the college, the group of four went to Bhatti’s address on Holcombe Drive and armed themselves.

Ms Blackwell said: “This is a murder in which all four young men were involved to some extent. Some more, some less. Over the months before this incident Shahdab [Akhtar] was repeatedly pressurising Umar to drop the charges. They were acting as a group.

“Each was armed and went to Thompson Park with the intention of involving themselves in a fight during which someone might die.”

The 17-year old had a metal pull-up bar the width of a door, Bhatti had the knife, Khalid took a wheel brace and Akhtar at numchakus, the jury was told.

At the park, the 17-year-old youth threatened a crowd of students who had gathered.

Ms Blackwell said: “He pointed the metal bar and said, ‘If anyone jumps in this is going on their head’.“ He then angered Mr Shafiq by shouting insults at him in Punjabi and then hit him on the head with a metal bar.

Ms Blackwell said Bhatti then stabbed Mr Shafiq in the stomach. She told the jury that, according to the victim’s son, Akhtar was the first to strike his father, using a belt that was wrapped around his hand.

She said that the victim’s son also fought with Akhtar, who fell in a boating lake.

Mr Shafiq sustained a stab wound to the right lower part of his chest which perforated his ribs and diaphragm.

She added: “Emergency services found it impossible to stem the flow of blood from his liver. The major cause of death was loss of blood.”

After the stabbing Bilal Bhatti shouted ‘run I’ve just stabbed him’, Ms Blackwell said.

She said that as they ran back to their car Akhtar called out “which one of you has stabbed the dad” and when Bhatti lifted his right hand Akhtar shouted “nice one”.

Ms Blackwell said: “Far from being horrified by that stabbing he was quite happy because he said ‘nice one’.”

She said Bhatti was also proud of his actions when he showed off the bloodstained knife in the car and said: “I’ve just stabbed someone, aren’t I cool.”

The jury heard the defendants’ car was involved in a minor road accident when they left and Bhatti got out and hit the other driver’s car.

Mr Shafiq was taken to hospital but was pronounced dead seven hours later. He died as a result of extensive blood loss.

All four defendants were arrested separately by police. Ms Blackwell said Akhtar claimed in interview he went to the park to talk and Mr Shafiq asked him ‘Do you want it?’.

Ms Blackwell said in his original statement to police Akhtar claimed Mr Shafiq told him to ‘fight Ali first’. Akhtar also denied inflicting any injury on Mr Shafiq.

The trial is expected to last four weeks.

Proceeding.