THE trial of four people charged with the murder of a Nelson father-of-seven in Thompson Park, Burnley, is due to begin on Monday.
Mohammed Raja Shafiq died in the Royal Blackburn Hospital hours after being beaten and stabbed after going to the aid of his 18-year-old son and intervening in a fight on March 4th.
A man and three teenagers have been charged with the murder of Mr Shafiq, as well as violent disorder. They have denied all of the charges.
The defendants, who are all from Burnley, are Mohammed Bhatti (20), of Holcombe Drive, Mohammed Akhtar (19), of Scott Park Road, Omar Khalid (19), of Fairfield Drive, and a 16-year-old who cannot be named because of his age.
Their case is to be heard at Manchester Crown Court and the trial, before Mr Justice Henriques, is expected to last four weeks.
Mr Shafiq's funeral, held on March 14th, was attended by thousands of mourners, many of whom gathered outside his home in York Street. A prayer service was held at the Ghausia Mosque, in Every Street, and the burial took place at Walton Lane Cemetery.
Mr Shafiq left daughters Afshaa and Zeenat from his first marriage, his second wife Shagufta and their five children Kawal, Umar, Komal, Usman and Adil.
>>Murder probe after park stabbing - PHOTOS>>Police say stabbing 'not race related'The full article contains 234 words and appears in n/a newspaper.
