A LONG-RUNNING family feud led to a man being murdered in extreme late-night violence on a Bradford street, a jury has heard.

Sarfraz Khan was stabbed to death and three of his cousins seriously wounded when a row over a mop and bucket at an ice cream business became “the straw that broke the camel’s back,” it is alleged.

Five brothers are on trial at Bradford Crown Court denying the murder of Mr Khan, 35, their cousin, and neighbour on Cecil Avenue, Great Horton, Bradford.

Mr Khan suffered a fatal stab wound to the heart in an alleyway behind the family homes after a large-scale disturbance broke out shortly after 10pm on Thursday, April 14.

His cousins, Idris Khan, Aftab Khan and Asad Khan were seriously injured in the violence.

In the dock are Amjid Ali, 39; Amir Ali, 19; Tariq Mahmood, 26; Mohammed Nasar: 32; and Sajid Hussain, 33, all of Cecil Avenue.

They plead not guilty to murdering Mr Khan and causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Aftab Khan and Asad Khan. Nasar alone denies wounding Idris Khan with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm.

Prosecutor Alistair MacDonald QC said Sarfraz Khan suffered three stab wounds and died later that night.

His cousin, Idris Khan, sustained three slash wounds under his chin in an incident at the front of the houses ten minutes earlier.

Aftab Khan suffered a punctured lung and other stab wounds and Asad Khan, a third brother, received a deep cut to his face and stab wounds to his chest.

Mr MacDonald said the police received seven calls reporting the large-scale disturbance.

He told the jury there had been bad blood between two sides of the extended family for some time, culminating in a trivial incident that night at the family business, Rossi’s Ices, on Richmond Road, near the University of Bradford.

Family member Basharat Khan thought his cousin, Amir Ali, had finished using a mop and bucket to clean out his ice cream van and so he began using it to clean out his van.

Amir Ali swore at Basharat Khan and he swore back.

“At that stage, it was all rather trivial with childish insults being bandied about. There was certainly no overtly threatening behaviour at this time,” Mr MacDonald said.

“It was on the face of it, a very minor argument over, of all things, a mop and bucket.

“However, as far as Nasar is concerned, this appears to have been the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

It is alleged that Nasar said to his brother, Amjid: “Let’s get this over and done with today, let’s finish this.”

He is also said to have threatened to stab his cousins and “knock them out.”

Mr MacDonald said the violence began when Nasar slashed Idris Khan’s throat on Cecil Avenue when their paths crossed on the way home.

Around 20 minutes later, the incident at the back of the houses took place in which Sarfraz Khan was fatally stabbed.

It is the Crown’s case that Amjid Ali was carrying a pole with a bag of chilli powder on the end and used the weapon like a fishing rod to throw the blinding substance around.

Tariq Mahmood is alleged to have been seen waving a kitchen knife with a 12 inch blade that he swung at Asad Khan, cutting his face.

Aftab Khan says he was stabbed by Nasar.

The court heard that Sarfraz Khan said during the violence: “They’ve got me. They’ve stabbed me.”

He was leaning over a car, telling his father he had been stabbed and he had his arms crossed over his stomach.

Sarfraz Khan collapsed. He was lapsing in and out of consciousness and praying.

Mr MacDonald said it was not necessary for the prosecution to prove which person had the knife or knives that caused the injuries that night.

It was a joint attack and each defendant intended that really serious injury would be caused, he stated.

The trial is expected to last up to six weeks, with the jury retiring to consider its verdicts in the week before Christmas.

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