A FATHER-OF-THREE has admitted stabbing one of his cousins after he saw him attacking his sister in an alleyway outside their Bradford home, a murder trial jury has heard.

Tariq Mahmood, 26, said he “went for” Aftab Khan, stabbing him up to four times in the back to stop him hitting his sister after violence erupted in Cecil Avenue, Great Horton, last April.

Sarfraz Khan, 35, was stabbed through the heart in the confrontation, but Mahmood denied any involvement in causing or encouraging his other cousin’s fatal injuries, saying he “didn’t know he was there”.

Mahmood and his brothers Mohammed Ali Nasar, 32, Amjid Ali, 39, Amir Ali, 19, and Sajid Hussain, 33, all of Cecil Avenue, Great Horton, all deny murdering Sarfraz Khan and causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Aftab Khan and another cousin, Asad Khan.

Nasar also denies wounding a further cousin, Idris Khan, with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm.

A jury at Bradford Crown Court has heard that a long-running family feud came to a head on the night of April 14 last year following a row over a mop and bucket at Rossi’s Ices.

The dispute at the family business was “the straw that broke the camel’s back” after marriage breakdowns in the extended family caused fall-outs.

Giving evidence yesterday, Mahmood said he had intervened in a fight between Nasar and Idris Khan at the front of the street about 20 minutes before the violence began in the back alley.

He said: “I pulled Idris away and said go inside, what are you fighting for?”

After heading into the alley to meet Amir Ali, who was moving and parking a car, Mahmood told the court he was set upon by Aftab Khan, Asad Khan, Basharat Khan, and Tahir Khan.

He said Basharat Khan said to him: “Come on you fat pig, now you’re going to get it”, before Aftab Khan added: “Why did you jump Iddi? If you want to fight, let’s fight.”

Mahmood said he “felt loads of blows being struck at me”, before Asad Khan hit him in the face and knocked him to the ground, where he lay “dizzy and confused” for a “couple of minutes”.

He then told the jury: “As I was getting up, I realised there was a small knife on the floor nearby me. I picked the knife up to arm myself. I presumed that others had knives as well.”

Asked what he was going to do with it, he said: “Just to protect myself. I had just been beaten up for no reason.”

Mahmood said the next thing he heard was Aftab Khan shouting: “I’m going to kill you” at his sister, Zainab.

He said: “I saw Aftab punch Zainab, she just fell.”

Asked how he responded, he said: “It was an instant reaction, I stabbed him to get him off her. I believed he was going to carry on hitting her. I know what he’s like, once Aftab loses it, he loses it. He’s like an animal, he doesn’t care. I thought he’s attacked me and now he’s going for her.”

Mahmood then said that as Aftab Khan tried to grab him, he felt a “stinging sensation” as chilli powder was thrown in his eyes, causing him to drop the knife.

After he regained his sight, Mahmood said the scene was “chaotic” due to fights taking place.

Asked whether he had seen Sarfraz Khan, or been involved in attacking him or encouraging others to do so, he said: “No. I didn’t know Sarfraz was there.”

Asked if he knew how his cousin was stabbed, Mahmood answered: “No.”

Before he went back inside his house, prior to later being arrested, Mahmood said he confronted Idris to say: “This is your fault. You had a fight with Nasar. This is all happening because of you.”

He also said he told one of his uncles: “They jumped us, they started it.”

The trial continues.