Aamir Siddiqi: Parents tried to tackle son's killers

Ben Hope (right) and Jason Richards are accused of murdering Aamir Siddiqi

A murder trial has heard how a teenager's parents were left bleeding badly after trying to tackle their son's balaclava-clad killers at the family home.

A-level student Aamir Siddiqi, 17, was stabbed to death in Cardiff in April 2010.

Swansea Crown Court has heard Jason Richards, 38, and Ben Hope, 39, were hired killers who had gone to the wrong address.

They deny murder and attempted murder.

The trial has heard claims the killing was a case of "mistaken identity".

The two hitmen arrived in Ninian Road in the city's Roath suburb, instead of a similar-looking house in nearby Shirley Road, where their intended target lived.

Aamir Siddiqi's father, Iqbal Ahmad, told how his son's killers pushed their way into the family home and attacked the teenager "indiscriminately", without seeing who their victim was.

"As soon as the door opened, they attacked," said Mr Ahmad, 68, in a video interview played to the jury.

He revealed how he attempted to tackle one of the two men who had burst in the house.

Mr Ahmad, who had undergone a knee replacement operation not long before the attack, said he had used all his energy to take hold of one of the men's hands and pin him against a wall with his head against the man's chest.

"I wanted to keep him away from Aamir," he said.

However, the man was too strong for him and slashed him twice before running off, the court heard.

Mr Ahmad said his wife, Parveen, jumped on the back of the other attacker, who had chased Aamir into the dining room.

"My wife jumped on his back and got hold of his jacket," said Mr Ahmad.

Aamir Siddiqi was stabbed at his home in Cardiff in 2010

The court heard that Aamir's 55-year-old mother was also slashed in the incident and both parents were left bleeding badly.

Describing the build-up to the incident, Mr Ahmad said his son had been upstairs studying for his A-levels when the doorbell rang.

He said his son was expecting his Koran teacher to call and volunteered to answer the door.

The court was told that as soon as the door opened, Aamir was pushed back by the men who started to stab him. Mr Ahmad said throughout the attack the men made a "terrifying noise".

He described it as a howling sound, like the sort of noise made in martial arts when an attacker wants to terrify the victim.

Pronounced dead

The court heard that after the attack, Aamir's mother attempted to ring 999 but had problems with the phone and ran into the street calling out: "Help, help, help. My son is dying" to some passers-by who called emergency services.

Attempts were made to save Aamir's life but he was pronounced dead at the University Hospital of Wales.

Mr Ahmad said the family had lived at the home for 18 years and had never had any threats or violence during their time there.

"Why should anyone come into the house and kill my boy," said Mr Ahmad.

The prosecution claims Mr Richards and Mr Hope were paid by a businessman, angry because a property deal had collapsed.

They allege the two defendants had taken heroin and had shown "staggering incompetence" to go to the wrong house.

The trial continues.