AN asylum-seeker serving a life sentence for murdering a fellow Iraqi Kurd in a Blackburn street was accused of another stabbing, it has been revealed.

Farhan Samsuddin Hamad, 20, was due to stand trial at Nottingham Crown Court last week on a charge of wounding with intent.

But days before the start of the case, Hamad was told he would not be prosecuted for the alleged offence, which would be left on file.

The Crown Prosecution Service decided not to proceed due to the reluctance of the alleged victim to go to court and as Hamad was already serving life.

The charge has not been disposed of and could be recalled in the future, but no action has been taken at this time.

Police said the allegation related to a stabbing incident in Nottingham in 2002. No further details were available.

Hamad lived in Warrington at the of the original incident, but the murder trial at Preston Crown Court heard that he regularly moved across the country visiting friends.

On January 19 this year he visited Blackburn to see fellow asylum seeker Mokhler Mostafa, 26, who lived in Infirmary Street.

That night, Hamad was found outside Mr Mostafa's home cradling his friend's body which had stab wounds to the face, chest, left lung and heart.

Mr Mostafa was pronounced dead on arrival at Blackburn Royal Infirmary.

Hamad claimed that two white men had killed his friend and ran off.

But police charged him with murder and a jury unanimously found him guilty at Preston Crown Court six months later.

Judge Peter Openshaw QC, recorder of Preston, ordered that Hamad be deported once he had served the life sentence.

Hamad, it was revealed after the trial, had a previous conviction for carrying a blade.

The wounding with intent charge had been put on hold so the murder case could be tried.

A police spokesman said: "The decision to leave the matter on the file rests with the Crown Prosecution Service, but in this case the accused is already serving a life sentence for murder in Blackburn and the victim was reluctant to go to court."