Madman in my taxi

A TAXI driver who sped a gunman away to Oldham from the scene of a murder has told a court “I had no choice”.

Akmal Afzal picked up Simeon Henderson and drove him to Oldham moments after Henderson blasted shop-worker Nasar Hussain to death at Brookhouse Wines in Eccles.

Henderson — who has admitted murder — then spent nearly three weeks on the run from police hunting him.

The killer left the machine gun he used in the back of Afzal’s car and the driver later dumped it in Oldham.

Afzal (25) is charged with assisting an offender and possessing the machine gun and denies both charges.

The shooting at the shop, the court has heard, was ordered by Bolton’s Castle Street gang, who were feuding with its owners.

Speaking from the witness box at Manchester Crown Court, Afzal said he lived in the same area as members of the gang and knew them, but was not one of their number.

He claimed that on the night of the murder he had gone to Eccles expecting to pick up Tanveer Akbar — alleged to be a senior member of the Castle Street gang — but had instead discovered his fare was a “madman with a gun”.

He said: “At the time he had a gun on him and he jumped straight into my car. I didn’t know what he’d done.”

Arfan Rafiq (25), of Villa Road, Oldham, denies murder, conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm, and possessing a prohibited weapon. Mohammed Hafiz (43), of Cheetham Hill, denies murder and two charges of conspiring to commit grievous bodily harm. Ryan Manning (22), of Higher Ince, denies murder, Akmal Afzal, (25) of Bolton, denies assisting an offender and possessing a prohibited weapon.

(Proceeding)