Four guilty of killing dad whose ears they chopped off with machete

Four men killed a father and hacked off both his ears with a machete as part of a long-running family feud.

Sajed Choudry, 42, was murdered in a horrific street attack on November 27 last year.

He suffered shocking injuries to the top and sides of his head, which doctors tried to treat with a skin graft from his legs.

Sajed also suffered a collapsed right lung and sustained a bleed on the brain, and died two weeks after the assault.

A trial heard Mr Choudry had been in arguments with the Ali family for several months, and it escalated to violence near his home in Blackburn.

The fatal blow was struck by Sadaqat Ali, 36, who was today found guilty of murder following a trial at Preston Crown Court.

His brother Rafaqat Ali, 38, his father-in-law Fazal Ilahi, 62, and a fourth man, Syed Ali Akbar, 45, have also been convicted of Mr Choudry’s murder.

A youth, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was cleared of murder but found guilty of manslaughter.

Sadaqat Ali was also found guilty of the attempted murder of Mr Choudry’s 20-year-old son Ashan.

Rafaqat Ali, Ilahi, Akbar and the youth were each cleared of the same charge.

Jurors found Rafaqat Ali, Ilahi and Akbar guilty of causing grievous bodily harm with intent. The youth, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was cleared of GBH but convicted of unlawful wounding.

During the trial, Lancashire Police logs recorded 41 separate complaints in the months leading up to Mr Choudry’s death.

The head of the rival family, Sadaqat Ali, had been arrested three days before the machete attack, for smashing Mr Choudry’s son Ahsan, 24, over the head with a metal bar following a chance meeting in the street on November 24.

While he was in custody, Sadaqat Ali’s wife saw another son of Mr Choudry, Mohsan, 20, approach her husband’s car and slash one of the tyres, which led to his arrest.

After his release from custody, Sadaqat Ali and four others gathered armed with a cache of weapons including knives, an axe and blocks of wood before cornering Mr Choudry.

CCTV footage also captured Mr Choudry, armed with a baseball bat, and son Ahsan, who was carrying a cricket bat.

Prosecutor Gordon Cole QC said Sadaqat Ali was seen repeatedly holding the machete and at one point struck Ahsan and caused a massive gash to his left hand.

In return, Sadaqat Ali was hit in the face with Ahsan’s bat and then Rafaqat Ali struck Ahsan on the head with a stick, added Mr Cole.

He said later Sadaqat Ali narrowly missed Sajed Choudry’s wife, Shazia, with a swipe of the machete before Sajed Choudry was felled.

Mr Cole said Mr Choudry was struck by a ‘clear backhand swipe’, which floored him.

The court heard Sadaqat Ali then chased Ahsan into his front garden before striking the door with the machete and then turning away, Mr Cole said.

The machete has never been recovered, the court heard.

Saira Ali and Asma Ali, the wives of Sadaqat and Rafaqat, who were accused of switching off CCTV cameras covering the street, were cleared of attempting to pervert the course of justice partway through the hearing.

Trial judge Mr Justice Dove adjourned the case for sentence until September 19.