The brother of a man at the centre of a murder trial has told a jury of his final moments. Youssef Alsharan, the younger brother of Ahmed Alsharan, 33, told police he 'held' his sibling as he struggled to breathe having being stabbed in the chest, a court was told.
Mr Alsharan received open heart surgery at the scene on Dale Street and was rushed to hospital, but died after suffering from severe brain damage, jurors have been told. A pathologist found he suffered a stab wound to his heart, Minshull Street Crown Court heard.
Jurors previously heard he had been drinking coffee with his brother Youssef, friend Sami Alhaj and another pal beside Rochdale Canal off Dale Street when they were approached by another man, alleged to be Mohammed Al-Enizi Hameed.
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He asked 'who are you?', before a fight broke out, in which Mr Alsharan was stabbed and pushed in the canal, it was said. Mr Alhaj was also knife during the incident, jurors have been told. He was left with wounds to his abdomen, armpit and lung.
Mr Al-Enizi Hameed, 36; Fares Hassan, 22; Hussein Muhalhal, 20; and Hussein Mouhelhel, 22; and two 16-year-old boys, who cannot be named for legal reasons, are on trial at Minshull Street Crown Court. They all deny murder; attempted murder; and an alternate offence of wounding with intent.
On Wednesday (February 28), jurors were shown a police interview in which Youssef Alsharan said he had been for a solicitor appointment earlier that day with his brother and Mr Alhaj as he was new to the country.
He said the group of four went to get a coffee from Café Nero, on Piccadilly, before his brother suggested they go to the canal. Speaking through an interpreter, he said: "We were sitting at the side of the river, as we were there someone was walking up to us. Because I'm new to the country I didn't know this person.
"He walked towards my brother then stopped. He spoke with him and then he put his hand into his pocket as if he was going to get something out. My brother held this person and I held this person also.
"We didn't know what he was getting out of his pocket so [we held him] to defend ourselves. He was saying 'come guys, and bring the knife with you."
Youssef told officers a group of three to four people 'ran towards' them, the jury was told. "I didn't know who any of those people were," he added. "Ahmed was standing near to the edge of the river and they were trying to attack him. I hadn't seen anyone holding a knife, so I don't know who stabbed him.
"Ahmed had been stabbed and then pushed into the river. When I have seen Ahmed fall in the river, he swam to the other side. I escaped through the bridge then met Ahmed on the other side of the bridge.
"He was asking me 'have you been stabbed, are you okay?'. I asked him 'are you okay?'. He told me 'I have been stabbed here', and gestured to his heart.
"I checked and said there was a small stab wound there. He said 'no, I feel it in my heart'. I stayed with him and he said 'I'm losing my breathing, I cannot breathe'. Then he started fainting and fainted.
"I held his hand. I think he bit his tongue and couldn't breathe. I then tried to give him CPR." He said the first man, alleged to be Mr Al-Enizi Hameed, had a 'big pocket' at the front of his hoodie.
He told officers the man spoke in Arabic, asking 'who are you?', before 'going quickly' into his front pocket. He said his brother grabbed his left arm, and he grabbed his right arm, before the man shouted for the 'other guys'. "I didn't say anything to him... my brother didn't say anything to him," he added.
"When I was holding him I looked back and saw three or four males running towards us. One was coming towards me and trying to kick me. I backed off and then he backed off and then I saw Ahmed in the river."
Youssef claimed Mr Al-Enizi Hameed pushed his brother, causing him to fall into the canal. He said he went to the other side of the canal using a bridge and met him and Sami, who had also swam to the other side.
"He [Ahmed] was soaked with water and he had a little bit of bleeding," he told jurors. "After that, Sami arrived and he took off his jumper and he had a bit of blood.
"After Sami arrived my brother said he had been stabbed. He said he could feel it in his heart. I said 'is it serious?' and he said 'yes, I can feel it in my heart'."
He said he didn't see any of the opposing group with a knife and said some of the group were trying to 'hit' them. "I had only been in the country for three months - I always stay at home," he told jurors.
It was later suggested to him in cross examination his group approached Mr Al-Enizi Hameed first. He denied that, and denied Mr Al-Enizi had 'shouted for help', adding: "No, he was the one who approached us. He is the one who asked us 'who are you?'.
"He was the one who was saying 'bring the knife'. He was the one who pushed my brother into the water. He was the one who called them and the one who approached us."
Mr Al-Enizi Hameed, of Brighton Grove, Rusholme; Mr Hassan, of Ribston Street, Hulme; Mr Muhalhal, of Lower Park Road, Longsight; and Mr Mouhelhel, of Wynnstay Grove, Fallowfield; and the two 16-year-old boys, all deny the charges.
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