Kian Tordoff murder trial hears men returned to 'seek revenge'

FOUR men fled a serious disturbance near a nightclub and returned with recruits, a machete and large knives to “seek revenge”, a murder trial has heard.

The trial following the death of 19-year-old Kian Tordoff got underway at Bradford Crown Court today (Tuesday).

Six males are accused of killing the young man in John Street on October 10 last year and attempting to murder Matthew Page – who is also known as Matthew Lowther.

Arbaz Khan, 22, Aizaz Khan, 27, both of Yew Tree Avenue in the Daisy Hill area, Amaad Shakiel, 20, of Leaventhorpe Lane, Adam Qayum, 23, of Avenel Road in the Allerton area, Mohammed Adil Hussain, 18, of Kite Mews in the Lower Grange area, and a 17-year-old who cannot be named due to his age, all deny murder and attempted murder.

Mr Tordoff was pronounced dead at the scene, while Mr Lowther was hospitalised.

The police scene where Kian Tordoff died from stab wounds

Both were stabbed multiple times, a jury heard today.

Mark McKone QC, for the prosecution, began his opening statement, after the jury was sworn in.

The tragic events first unfolded when a serious disturbance happened at 5.11am on October 10 in Bradford city centre, on Westgate near Village nightclub, according to Mr McKone.

He said the disturbance involved many young people, including Arbaz Khan, Shakiel, Qayum and Hussain.

But the jury heard that they fled the scene in a Seat Leon, which was attacked and damaged as it made its escape and also drove at people near a bus stop.

A BMW containing the six defendants – with Aizaz Khan and the 17-year-old now added to the mix – returned to the scene at 5.43am where a second disturbance took place and the stabbings happened.

Mr McKone said: “What this case is about, the prosecution says, the Seat Leon drove away from the disturbance so the occupants of the Leon could obtain weapons, mainly knives, and recruit other people, namely the other two defendants, and come back to Bradford city centre and seek revenge."

The prosecution lawyer added, at least three of those in the BMW were armed, including with a machete and very large knives.

Both Arbaz Khan and the 17-year-old admit to having knives with them, while the teenager also admits to stabbing both Mr Tordoff and Mr Lowther, the jury heard.

Kian Tordoff as a child

Mr McKone explained this is a case of joint enterprise.

The prosecution’s position is that the six defendants acted together for a common purpose, that this was a team trip with the purpose of attacking people with weapons.

It says anyone who took part in that trip is guilty of murder and attempted murder.

Mr McKone said: "A person is guilty of these offences if they use violence to a victim themselves or if they helped someone, such as driving them to a scene.

"As Aizaz Khan did."

He added: "The intentional encouragement of violence can be done by words, a person can also intentionally encourage violence simply by presence in the BMW or by being at the attack, as the presence of each defendant gives strength in numbers.”

The prosecution must prove someone in the group intended to kill or cause serious harm, according to Mr McKone.

He said: "It is clear all defendants intended to kill or cause serious harm.

"This is clear from the fact the group took big knives including a machete to the scene and the knives were used at the scene to kill those young men."

The prosecution explained its case includes CCTV, phone data, scientific evidence and the testimonies of eyewitnesses.

Mr McKone said: "There will be eyewitnesses, many of the young eyewitnesses who had been in the nightclubs, had their prosecution evidence video recorded by the police.

“Those recordings will be played to you as their prosecution evidence."

Those accounts were given at the time of the stabbings and many of the eyewitnesses also drew diagrams of where things happened.

Mr McKone said: "Scientific evidence has been used to link a defendant to a weapon and to link defendants to the two vehicles - the Seat and BMW."

Five of the defendants have been linked to the scene at the time of the stabbing by telephone evidence, according to the prosecution lawyer.

The trial continues.