A 21-YEAR-OLD man cleared by the jury in the Kian Tordoff murder trial has been spared an immediate jail sentence for an entirely separate offence of perverting the course of public justice.

Amaad Shakiel had ‘suffered enough’ while being held in custody on remand for nine months before his acquittal, the Recorder of Bradford, Judge Richard Mansell QC, told him today.

Shakiel, of Leaventhorpe Lane, Thornton, Bradford, was found not guilty at Bradford Crown Court in July of murder, manslaughter and wounding charges.

Mr Tordoff, 19, died after suffering stab injuries in an attack in John Street in the city centre on Sunday, October 10, last year.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Shakiel was cleared by a jury of murdering Kian Tordoff (inset picture) in Bradford city centre (main picture)Shakiel was cleared by a jury of murdering Kian Tordoff (inset picture) in Bradford city centre (main picture)

Sheryar Khan, 17, of Yew Tree Avenue, Bradford, was convicted of murdering him and wounding Matthew Page, also known as Matthew Lowther, who suffered life-threatening injuries on the same date. Khan will spend at least 15 years behind bars.

This morning, Shakiel was back before the court after pleading guilty ahead of his trial to doing a series of acts, namely providing false details in response to Notices of Intended Prosecution, which had a tendency to pervert the course of public justice.

The offences were committed between June 16, 2020, and August 20, 2021, when he was aged 18 and 19, prosecutor Ben Campbell said.

The court heard that the teenager was the registered keeper of a Vauxhall Corsa and an Audi S3 that were clocked speeding four times between them in Bradford and Greater Manchester.

Notices of Intended Prosecution were sent to Shakiel, and other men were falsely nominated as the driver on each occasion.

Mr Campbell said the speeding offences were committed on Moore Avenue in Wibsey; Bradford Road, Shipley; the M62 in Greater Manchester; and Thornton Road in Bradford.

Shakiel’s barrister, Andrew Dallas, said his client had spent nine months locked up on remand awaiting trial for Mr Tordoff’s murder.

Following his acquittal on all the charges against him, he had been discharged on bail for this matter.

Mr Dallas said he would get credit for only two of the months he had spent in custody.

Shakiel was driving during the first speeding offence but not for the other three.

When he was caught aged 18, friends offered to ‘sort it out’ for him.

Mr Dallas said there was ‘a culture among his associates that it wasn’t a big deal.’ He wasn’t driving on the three subsequent occasions and was told the matters would be ‘taken care of’ and he knew or believed that false details would be sent to the police.

Mr Dallas said there were ‘very special circumstances’ in the case and urged Judge Mansell not to send Shakiel immediately to jail.

He had no previous convictions and he had committed no offences since.

The murder allegation and the ordeal of the trial process had caused him great anxiety and distress.

Mr Dallas said it was ‘a deeply traumatic’ experience that had left Shakiel chastened.

His probation officer said he would benefit from rehabilitation in the community.

Shakiel was getting his life on track with a scheme to run his own business selling electrical equipment on a website.

He had bought a van to further his plans and Mr Dallas asked Judge Mansell not to ban him from driving as ‘an act of mercy.’ Judge Mansell said those falsely accused of being behind the wheel during the speeding offences had to make statements to the police saying they weren’t driving.

One man was complying with an electronically monitored curfew at the time and said he had wrongly been given fines of £11,000 after being dishonestly nominated for a great many speeding offences.

Judge Mansell said a culture existed that it was ‘a very easy job’ to break the law to evade the penalties for bad driving.

What had saved Shakiel from immediate jail for his ‘determined dishonesty’ was the fact that he had been remanded and then tried for a murder he didn’t commit.

He played no part in the attack but waited in a car instead of ‘following idiots into trouble.’ Shakiel was sentenced to 14 months imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, with 20 rehabilitation activity days with the probation service.

He was not banned from driving.