Sheffield murder suspect says he was defending himself when brother was stabbed

Sheffield Crown Court has heard during an on-going trial how Thamraze Khan, aged 31, of Club Garden Road, near Sharrow, Sheffield, has been accused of murdering his 28-year-old brother Kamran Khan.

Police had been called to the property on Club Garden Road just after 2am, on November 15, 2020, after Kamran Khan was found with serious injuries on a landing outside the defendant’s flat by a neighbour, according to the court.

Thamraze Khan, who has pleaded not guilty to murder, told the court he and his brother had been drinking vodka, smoking cannabis and taking anti-anxiety tablets pregabalin before his brother attacked him.

Mr Khan said: “Kamran started asking me for money for more drink and more drugs. I basically told him let’s call it a night and I will sort something out for you in the morning.”

But Mr Khan claimed his brother punched him and as he punched him back onto a bed he said Kamran Khan took a knife from under the bed and stabbed him in the right hand.

He also claimed Kamran Khan tried to strike him with the knife again so he grabbed his wrist and twisted his arm and as he pushed him against a wall he dropped the knife and ran.

Mr Khan said: “At that point when he dropped the knife and when he ran out of the house I did not think there was any damage to him. I did not know how he had been stabbed or anything.”

Mr Khan told the court he and his brother had fallen out several times before but they had only ever exchanged punches and had never used any weapons.

He added that he also had nothing to do with his brother being stabbed and wounded on a previous occasion in August, 2018, and even though this incident had been investigated by police Mr Khan was not prosecuted.

Mr Khan claimed that on the evening of November 14, 2020, he had seen Kamran Khan with a knife during a dispute with an associate who had called at Mr Khan’s home.

He added that he and his brother apologised to this man and joined him at his partner’s home in Low Edges, Sheffield, where they drank vodka and the brothers smoked cannabis and took pregabalin tablets before returning to Mr Khan’s flat where they fell out on November 15, 2020.

Mr Khan said: “I had no intentions of killing him. I just wanted to restrain him and get the knife out of his hand.”

Prosecuting barrister Samuel Green QC said Thamraze Khan had asked police if his brother had been stabbed and he told them they had been arguing and he did not know where he had gone.

Police recovered a long, blood-stained, knife from a bedroom doorway at Thamraze Kahn’s home, according to Mr Green.

The court heard the cause of Kamran Khan’s death was a stab wound to the back of the chest and he had also been stabbed through his right armpit.

The trial continues.