Mushin Ahmed murder: Accused went fishing two hours after fatal assault

Under cross-examination, Damien Hunt accepted he had wanted to ‘keep out of the way’ of the police following the attack on Mushin Ahmed.

Mr Ahmed was attacked on Fitzwilliam Road in Rotherham at around 3.20am on August 10 last year as he walked to mosque for morning prayers.

He died 11 days later in hospital after suffering brain damage following an assault in which he was kicked, punched and had his head stamped on.

Two defendants, Dale Jones and Damien Hunt, deny murder. Both accept being at the scene but say the other man was solely responsible for the attack.

Mr Ahmed was found by a passer-by lying badly injured around two hours after he had been attacked – around the same time Hunt went fishing.

Andrew Robertson QC, prosecuting, said to Hunt: “Two to two-and-half hours after you say you witnessed a horrific assault you went fishing.

“You didn’t want to go home until you knew there were no police around.”

Mr Robertson suggested Hunt wanted to ‘keep out of the way’.

Hunt said: “In a way, yeah.”

CCTV footage was also played to the court from around 3.30am, which Mr Robertson said showed Hunt and Jones walking away from the scene together.

Mr Robertson said: “There is no attempt to distance yourself from this man you had seen badly attack Mr Ahmed.”

Hunt said he had stayed with Jones in an attempt to persuade him not to return to the scene to continue 
the attack.

Hunt had previously told the court it was possible he may have accidentally hit Mr Ahmed when fighting with Jones in a bid to stop the attack on the pensioner.

Mr Robertson said Hunt had been the ‘first to attack’ Mr Ahmed.

“You left your DNA on his teeth,” he said.

“It was a blow so hard it knocked Mr Ahmed to the ground. He was then kicked and stamped on by the pair of you.”

Hunt said he couldn’t remember if a punch from him had knocked Mr Ahmed to the ground, but he had not intended to cause the victim harm.

Jones, 30, of East Bawtry Road, Rotherham and Hunt, of Doncaster Road, Rotherham, both deny murder.