A JURY has heard how a dispute between the leaders of two rival groups led to shots being fired and a man being badly beaten in a residential cul-de-sac in Bradford.

Bradford Crown Court heard that a shotgun was fired at a car, before the alleged gunman was dragged from another car and attacked with a lump hammer and a knife.

Six men are on trial charged in relation to the incident, which happened in Hollybank Gardens, Great Horton, on October 3 last year.

The alleged gunman Mohammed Waris, 22, of Northside Terrace, Lidget Green; Tariq Adalat, 35, of Northside Terrace, Lidget Green; and Dhaanish Akmal, 19, of Aberdeen Terrace, Lidget Green, face three charges each of conspiracy to have in their possession a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger life, conspiracy to possess a firearm without a firearms certificate, and conspiracy to handle stolen goods.

Ajaz Saddiq, 38, of Hollybank Gardens, Great Horton, Shahid Saddiq, 35, of Waverley Road, Great Horton, and Nazim Hussain, 39, of Fairbank Road, Girlington, are charged with unlawfully and maliciously wounding Waris with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm.

Prosecutor David Brooke opened the Crown’s case on Tuesday, and told the jury: “In the early evening of October 3 last year, there was a violent incident between two rival groups in a quiet cul-de-sac.

“There had been a dispute earlier that day between the two leaders of those groups.”

Mr Brooke said there were family links between the men on trial. He said: “A number of these individuals appear to be related to each other.

“They are certainly cousins.

“Tariq Adalat is the uncle of Mohammed Waris. There are family ties across the two groups.”

Mr Brooke split the six men into two groups. Waris, Adalat and Akmal were in group one, while brothers Ajaz and Shahid Saddiq, and Hussain were in group two.

He told the court: “Members of the first group went to the home of the leader of the second group in that cul-de-sac. The first group discharged a shotgun.

“The gunman was disarmed by the second group and they hospitalised him with a very serious injury.

“The six of them are charged with offences of violence.”

Mr Brooke told the jury that “there was a lead-up to this incident” and that it “did not happen out of nothing”.

“On the afternoon of October 3 last year, there was an incident on Beckside Road between the two leaders, Tariq Adalat and Ajaz Saddiq,” said Mr Brooke.

“When these two leaders were interviewed later, they each admitted there had been a confrontation that afternoon, but each was blaming the other.”

The court heard that Ajaz Saddiq told police that his car was rammed by a car containing Adalat and Waris who then got out carrying a machete, an axe and a baseball bat.

Adalat told police that he was parked on Beckside Road when Ajaz Saddiq drove up in an Audi, got out and punched him “five or six times in the face”, said Mr Brooke.

Mr Brooke added: “They are two completely different accounts. It demonstrates that there was hostility between these two.”

The court heard that the result was the incident in Hollybank Gardens at 7.55pm that day.

Mr Brooke said witnesses heard bangs and saw a man being dragged from a car and punched and kicked.

Judge Jonathan Rose and the jury were shown the shotgun allegedly used, as well as a lump hammer and knife said to contain some of Waris’s blood.

The gun was found in a stolen Volkswagen Polo that Waris was allegedly dragged from at the scene, said Mr Brooke.

Waris was kicked “repeatedly and aggressively”, said Mr Brooke.

CCTV footage and a 999 call made by Ajaz Saddiq to police were also played in court.

In the 999 call, Ajaz Saddiq - whose Audi car was damaged by gunfire - said: “There has been a lad who has done a shooting.”

The trial continues.

MORE TOP STORIES