Shop worker killed due to ‘bad blood’

A MAN accused of organising a shooting in which a shop worker was killed has protested his innocence.

Nasar Hussain was gunned down as he worked behind the counter of Brookhouse Wines, an off-licence in Eccles.

Manchester Crown Court heard the shooting was the result of “bad blood” between the shop owners and Bolton drug dealers belonging to the Castle Street gang.

Mohammed Hafiz is one of a number of men alleged to have arranged for gunman Simeon Henderson to strike at the shop after being approached for help by pals linked to the gang.

They are Hafiz (43), of Woodlands Road, Cheetham Hill, who denies murder and two charges of conspiring to commit grievous bodily harm, Arfan Rafiq (25), of Villa Road, Oldham, who denies murder, conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm, and possessing a prohibited weapon, Ryan Manning (22), of Bird Street, Higher Ince, who denies murder, and Akmal Afzal (25), of no fixed address, who denies assisting an offender and possessing a prohibited weapon.

Henderson (28), who has admitted murdering Nasar Hussain and awaits sentence, has testified that Mr Hafiz was one of the men who recruited him.

But, giving evidence in his own defence, Hafiz told the jury the intended victims of the shooting were friends, and he knew nothing of the shooting.

He has admitted being in contact with Henderson on the day of the murder, but said he “never breathed a word” of his plans to carry out a shooting.

He said after “chilling out” with Henderson he dropped him off and left.

However, when interviewed by police he never mentioned this. Challenged about this, Mr Hafiz said: “I can’t remember every detail.”

Richard Marks QC, prosecuting, put it to Hafiz that they were “in it together”.

Hafiz is also accused of arranging for Mr Henderson to be supplied with a machine gun in a handover at Wall Street, Oldham.

He denied this, claiming that he saw another man pass Henderson an object at Wall Street, and thought it was a “woolly hat”.

However, the court heard, in police interviews Mr Hafiz claimed he hadn’t seen anybody pass anything to Mr Henderson in Wall Street.

The prosecution say Mr Hafiz can be linked to the murder not only by Henderson’s testimony, but by dozens of telephone calls to another of the alleged conspirators, Mohammed Safdar, who is wanted by police.

Proceeding