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One of the men accused of murdering Keighley father-of-two Suhail Choudry has told a jury he was not involved in the fatal assault, as the prosecution continues to outline its case at Sheffield Crown Court. The defendant, whose denial was reported by the Bradford Telegraph and Argus, is among six men standing trial for the murder of the thirty-five-year-old, who died on 11 February following an attack on Flasby Street in the early hours of 8 February. Daily Dazzling Dawn understands the trial, now in its second week, is examining the precise roles and motivations of each defendant, all of whom deny murder.
The six men in the dock are Rashid Hussain, 41, of Redcliffe Street; Majid Hussain, 42, of Devonshire Street; Mohammed Aliyan Khan, 23, of Malsis Road; Faisal Khan, 26, of Malsis Road; Hakeem Gulzar, 27, of Plover Street; and Waseem Islam, 39, of East Avenue. All six are from Keighley and, like Mr Choudry, are members of the town's British Pakistani community. Each defendant faces charges of murder, violent disorder, and possessing an offensive weapon in a public place. They all deny the charges.
The prosecution, led by John Harrison KC, alleges that Mr Choudry was the victim of a pre-planned, targeted attack. The court has heard that the group coordinated their movements using several vehicles, including a stolen Ford Puma fitted with false plates, a Lexus, and a Volvo. CCTV footage showed the vehicles assembling on Pitt Street at 1am on 8 February, where weapons were transferred. At 3.07am, the Lexus drove onto East Avenue, where Mr Choudry was sitting in a silver Toyota Prius with two acquaintances. Four men got out and approached the Toyota, while the Puma and Volvo blocked the road. Mr Choudry fled on foot down Flasby Street, where he was pursued and subjected to a sustained assault with metal bars. He suffered fifty-two catastrophic injuries, including multiple skull fractures and unsurvivable brain trauma. He was taken to Leeds General Infirmary but died three days later.
Against this backdrop of detailed prosecution evidence, one of the accused men has given his account. The Bradford Telegraph and Argus reported that the man, who is yet to be named in this report pending the full presentation of his defence, told the jury: "I wasn't there." This denial is central to the defence strategy, which, as Daily Dazzling Dawn understands, seeks to challenge the prosecution's assertion of joint enterprise. The defence teams argue that mere presence in the vicinity does not equate to shared intent to cause serious harm or death.
West Yorkshire Police launched Operation Pandemus following the attack. Daily Dazzling Dawn learned that while twenty individuals were initially arrested, fourteen were released on bail, leaving the six primary defendants. Crucially, at least three other suspects directly linked to the assault remain at large, having fled the United Kingdom. Two have been named in court as Mohammed Safyaan Ishaq and Abbas Shazad. International tracing procedures are ongoing.
The trial continues to examine a substantial body of evidence. The court has heard that the weapons used have never been recovered, and the assailants discarded forensic evidence, including gloves, as they fled. The stolen Ford Puma was abandoned on Spencer Street, while the Lexus and Volvo were driven to Tim Lane between Oakworth and Haworth, where an Audi A3 collected the occupants. The prosecution is relying heavily on digital communications, phone records, and surveillance timelines to establish premeditation and coordinated assembly. Jurors are expected to scrutinise forensic pathology findings and digital exchanges in the coming weeks.
Legal observers speaking to Daily Dazzling Dawn noted that the case will hinge on the doctrine of joint enterprise. The prosecution must prove that each defendant acted with the shared intent to locate Mr Choudry and cause him really serious harm or death. The defence will seek to demonstrate that individual roles varied and that not all defendants had murderous intent. The trial, scheduled to last five weeks before the Honourable Mr Justice Murray, continues.
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