Five men convicted of murder after father stabbed in family feud in Coventry

Five men have been convicted of murder in Coventry after a father was fatally stabbed following a funeral.

Police say an ongoing feud between families erupted into violence on October 2 last year.

Haji Choudhary Rab Nawaz and his brother attended the funeral at a mosque near Durbar Avenue before being followed to their car and stabbed by a group armed with weapons.

The brothers attempted to drive off before seeking help in the mosque for their injuries.

52-year-old Mr Nawaz died a short time after arriving to hospital due to serious chest injuries, while his brother's injuries were not life-threatening.

The court heard the group of five men - Adam Razaaq, Faisal Mohammed, Hasnian Razaaq, Hasham Razaaq and Jenaid Mahmood - targeted the brothers after seeing them at the funeral. 

As part of the investigation, detectives established there was ongoing animosity between two closely-linked families. 

All five men were arrested within nine days of the stabbing despite fleeing to different parts of the country - thanks to CCTV and forensics searches.

They were jointly convicted following a seven-week trial at Warwick Crown Court.

In a family statement following the death of Mr Nawaz, he was described as "a dependable shining light of good, an innocent humble loving family man, our father, our brother, our friend."

Lorraine Anson, Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS West Midlands, said: “This was an appalling case of violence against family members targeted at a place of worship.

“Our thoughts are with the family of Mr Nawaz and we hope that the verdicts delivered today provide some level of closure for his brother and his family. This verdict reinforces our message that offenders of serious knife crime will be brought to justice.”

The defendants will be sentenced tomorrow (Friday 21 July 2023).