THREE men were stabbed, one fatally, in a disturbance in Bradford last night.  

Police were called to Cecil Avenue, Great Horton, after reports of a brawl involving a number of people at 10.18pm.

They found three men, aged 27, 32 and 35, had suffered stab wounds.

They were taken to hospital, but one of them, named locally as Sarfraz Khan, 35, later died.

Mr Khan's cousin, named by neighbours as Aftab Khan, was said to be one of the other stab victims.

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Sarfraz Khan​

A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said the 32-year-old man today remained in hospital in a stable condition.

The 27-year-old man and a 33-year-old woman, who was treated for minor injuries, have now been released from hospital.

Seven men, aged between 19 and 38, have been arrested on suspicion of murder and remain in custody today.

A police cordon was set up at the junction of Cecil Avenue and Horton Park Avenue.

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About a dozen officers are at the scene carrying out house-to-house inquiries.

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The alleyway where the brawl appears to have taken place

The brawl appears to have happened in an alleyway at the back of the houses where clothing and footwear lies scattered on the ground.

A neighbour, who saw the attack but did not want to be named, said: "I saw men come out with knives into the alleyway at the back of the house and within a minute they had been stabbed.

"It all happened out of the blue. I saw Sarfraz was stabbed in the torso and Aftab was stabbed in the back.

"I believe it all started because of a family feud or dispute."

Marker cones have been placed by police at several points in the alleyway as a forensic examination of the scene continues.

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Police have placed marker cones in the alleyway as the investigation continues 

One Cecil Avenue resident, who did not want to be named, said he believed the brawl had stemmed from a dispute within the family which runs an ice cream business including a fleet of ice cream vans.   

“The guy who was killed everyone locally knew him as Safi,” he said.

“The family is very well-known and respected and run an ice cream business that supplies ice cream to other business.

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One resident said the brawl stemmed from a dispute within a family which runs an ice cream business 

“It’s shocking to see all the police here, and they were on the scene almost straight away in large numbers, but once I found out what happened and that it was a family issue I knew that no-one else was in danger.

“Saffi was a nice young man and was very well respected.”

A family friend, who asked not to be named, said Saffi was a “jolly man.”

The pair went to school in Buttershaw together and had kept in touch.

“It was a really big shock,” the man said.

“He was a nice guy, a really good guy. He wouldn’t hurt a fly. He was a really charitable guy and he used to give a lot to charity.

“It’s really, really shocking what happened to him. They are really well respected.”

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The police cordon in Cecil Avenue, Great Horton

Detective Chief Inspector Mark Swift, who is leading the investigation, said: "Our investigations are still at an early stage, but we believe this to be an isolated incident and possibly linked to a family dispute.

"We are not currently looking for anyone else in connection with this incident, but would ask anyone who may have further information to contact police on 101, quoting log number 1681 of 14 April, or the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111."