Shop raider 'never intended violence'

The 63-year-old shopkeeper died after allegedly being bludgeoned to death during a raid on his Cowcliffe convenience store in February, but 18-year-old Rehman Afzal told a murder trial yesterday he had no indication that any of his group intended to use violence.

"Did you think that any one of them might want to inflict serious violence on the shopkeeper?" asked his barrister Timothy Roberts QC.

"No I didn't," replied Afzal.

"Were you prepared to really seriously hurt the shopkeeper in order to get hat cash out of the till?" said Mr Roberts.

"No I wasn't," said Afzal.

The teenager, who has admitted robbery, described how he went into the shop with co-defendants Umare Aslam, Muawaz Khalid and Nabeel Shafi.

He alleged that when Mr Singh opened the till so Aslam could pay for some sweets Aslam punched the shopkeeper in the face.

Afzal said he reached out and grabbed a bunch of notes from the till.

He told Bradford Crown Court he was not grabbed at any stage by Mr Singh.

The teenager claimed he left the shop with Aslam following behind.

The court heard Afzal and Aslam ran off leaving Shafi and Khalid in the shop.

Aslam, 20, of Coniston Avenue, Dalton, Khalid, 20, of Blackmoorfoot Road, Crosland Moor, Shafi, 18, of Park Hill, Bradley, Afzal, of Jancinth, Court, Fartown, and 18-year-old Shoaib Khan, of Calton Street, Hillhouse, all Huddersfield, deny murdering Mr Singh.

Afzal and Shafi have pleaded guilty to robbery, but that charge is denied by the other three defendants. Khan has admitted a charge of assisting an offender.

The hearing continues.