Court told of hand print in blood on wall

A man whose hand print was found in blood on the wall of a Black Country alley in which a father-to-be was beaten to death insisted he had nothing to do with the crime.

But Shakil Mohammed admitted lying to police investigating the murder of 40-year-old delivery driver Muhammed Farooq, whose wife gave birth hours after the tragedy last September.

The 25-year-old told Wolverhampton Crown Court yesterday that he saw his co-accused Nasar Abbas, aged 24, punching and kicking the victim in the alley behind Flames takeaway in Chapel Ash.

Mohammed claimed to have halted the beating and alleged Abbas later admitted returning to "finish off" Farooq, against whom he allegedly held a grudge.

Almost immediately after the attack, newly-wed Mohammed spent around 10 hours with Abbas driving to Hertfordshire and back "looking for girls," the court heard. But he maintained the pair did not discuss the earlier incident.

Mr Paul Lewis QC, defending Ali Wazir, the 31-year-old manager of Flames, who is also charged with the murder, told Mohammed during cross examination: "That was because it was you and Nasar Abbas who attacked Mr Farooq in the alley.

"You did not need to ask him why he was attacking that nice man because you helped him." Mohammed replied:

"I did not attack anybody." He admitted drinking up to four bottles of whisky with his 30-year-old brother Idris — also accused of murder — Abbas, Wazir and others at Flames on the night of the murder. Mr Lewis told him that Mr Farooq, who was a delivery driver at the takeaway, then arrived to collect his wages.

The QC continued: "Quite quickly it became apparent that Nasar had a problem with him and refused to shake his hand.

"Then you began shouting at Farooq and when he turned and left by the back door you and Nasar were the first ones out after him into the alley.

"Ali Wazir and your brother Idris came afterwards and by that time you and Nasar were getting stuck into Mr Farooq. You had him on the ground and both of you were kicking him."

Mohammed maintained that he had gone outside Flames to "sober up" and heard noises from the alley after starting to walk home. He allegedly found Abbas attacking Mr Farooq and halted the beating before continuing to his house after the victim supposedly said he was alright.

Mohammed said his palm print was left in the blood found on the wall of the alley when he leaned against it while halting the attack and helping Mr Farooq.

The Mohammed brothers and Abbas, all from St Marks Road, Chapel Ash, and Wazir of Rayleigh Road, Bradmore, all deny murder.

The case continues.