Raheem Hanif: Father describes fatal attack on son

Raheem Hanif died from a stab wound to his chest

A father feared for his and his son's life during an ambush in which his son was fatally stabbed, a court has heard.

Raheem Hanif, 26, died and his father Abdul was injured in the attack in Tilehurst, Reading, on 6 February.

Abdul Hanif tried to put his van in reverse to escape two males wielding a baseball bat and a machete, the jury was told.

Abas Khan, 24, Humzah Sikander, 18, and two boys, aged 17, all from Reading, deny murder.

Mr Khan, of Helmsdale Road, Reading, previously admitted manslaughter.

In a police video interview played to Reading Crown Court, Abdul Hanif said he had been with his son in his van in Dulnan Close, when he saw one male with a machete and another male with a baseball bat get out of a Range Rover and walk towards them.

'Poking machete'

"I was trying to put the car in reverse, you start panicking... I was fearing for my life. I was fearing for my son's life," he said.

The father described trying to move his car as his driver's window was smashed by a baseball bat.

He said he then saw one 17-year-old defendant "poking" a machete through the passenger's window towards his son.

After getting out of his van, he said he chased the baseball-wielding youth, who the Crown allege was Mr Sikander, to the Range Rover, and later discovered his son slumped in his seat in the van.

"I didn't realise," he said, before breaking into tears.

Raheem Hanif died of a stab wound to the chest.

Continuing to speak about the 17-year-old boy, who the Crown allege fatally stabbed Raheem Hanif, Abdul Hanif added: "He was just targeting purely Raheem."

The court has previously been told a dispute erupted after Raheem Hanif revealed his friend Mr Khan was having an affair with his girlfriend.

Raheem Hanif also had his van windows smashed and tyres slashed by masked men with baseball bats a day before his death, the jury heard.

Mr Sikander, of Brunel Road, Reading, has also pleaded guilty to one count of causing grievous bodily harm without intent.

The trial continues.