Muslim man jailed for eight years for stabbing to death his neighbour - a BNP-activist

A Muslim man has been jailed for eight years for killing his neighbour, who was active in the  BNP,  following a long-running dispute.

Habib Khan, 50, stabbed 52-year-old Keith Brown with a kitchen knife during
a violent row outside their homes in
July last year.

Stafford Crown Court was told that Khan and his family had been subjected to "racial hostility" by his neighbours prior to the attack on July 6.

Khan was cleared by a jury of murdering Mr Brown and instead convicted of manslaughter following a trial in May.

He was sentenced to a total of eight years in prison for two charges - one of manslaughter by lack of intent and one of wounding.

Judge Simon Tonking ordered that he serve consecutively six-and-a-half years for manslaughter and 18 months for wounding Mr Brown's son, Ashley Barker.

The court heard that Khan, described as a "mild and calm-mannered family man", had intended to use the knife to threaten Mr Brown, who had hold of one of his sons.

Judge Tonking said Khan had acted "in the honest belief that he needed to protect his son" but in doing so had killed Mr Brown.

He said: "It is beyond question that, by acting in the way that he did, Mr Khan killed Mr Brown unlawfully and, whatever their differences, the fact is that Mr Brown lost his life.

"That is a consequence for which Mr Khan must be punished with a significant custodial sentence."

The court heard that the families' feud began when Khan put in a planning application to build a new house on his land a few years before the incident.

Mr Brown objected and when permission was granted and building work began, he "took steps to obstruct it".

The situation escalated over the years, with one incident leaving Khan in hospital.

Scene of the crime: The dispute took place outside neighbours Habib Kahn and Keith Brown's houses in Stoke-on-Trent

The court was told that the Khan family were often subjected to racial abuse and taunting.

Judge Tonking said: "What became obvious as the evidence unfolded, however, is that from time to time, despite denials to the contrary, both Mr Brown and his son Ashley Barker were involved in acts of racial aggression towards members of Mr Khan's family."

Khan's defence barrister, Simon Drew, said police were called on a number of occasions, but often investigations "came to nothing" because of "generous failures by the system".

Speaking outside the court, Stoke-on-Trent BNP members slammed the sentence, which they said did not reflect the severity of the crime.

Councillor Michael Coleman said the court case was an example of "liberal politics".

He criticised Staffordshire Police for "going softly on ethnic minorities" and being hard with "the indigenous population of this island."

The row which resulted in the death of Mr Brown began when Khan's two sons, Khazir and Azir Saddique, became involved in a fight with Mr Brown and his son.

Khan "acted spontaneously" and went to the aid of his sons, armed with a kitchen knife.

At some point during the row, Khan, of Uttoxeter Road, Normacot, Stoke-on-Trent stabbed Mr Brown in the back, causing him to rapidly bleed to death.

The court was told that this was "not a full-force blow" or a "frenzied attack" but was enough to kill him.

In a separate incident, Mr Brown's son, Ashley Barker, was wounded by a wheelbrace.
Khazir Saddique, 27, of Trentham Road, Stoke-on-Trent, pleaded guilty to wounding at an earlier hearing and was today sentenced to two years in prison.