Takeaway boss ‘knifed to death by restaurant rival in curry house feud’

Foyjur Rahman, 44, is standing trial for murder accused of being involved in the attack

Abdul Samad, the owner of “Curry in a hurry” in Putney, was hacked to death with knives and meat cleavers by masked men (Getty Images)

A takeaway boss was hacked death by a rival restaurant owner during violent curry house feud 19 years ago, a court has heard.

Abdul Samad, who owned “Curry in a hurry” in Putney, was hacked to death with knives and meat cleavers by masked men on 21 May 1997 after responding to a fake fast-food order which gave the Islington address of then-solicitor General Lord Falconer.

The Old Bailey heard on Monday that as the 25-year-old victim, also known as Kamal, was set upon on the ground before being left in a pool of blood. He was rushed to hospital where he died early the next morning.

A doctor described his injuries to jurors as “horrific – the like of which I have never seen before in my career”. A post mortem examination found 18 separate chopping and stabbing injuries, including a "gaping" 4 inch wide wound to his waist.

Foyjur Rahman, 44, is standing trial for murder accused of being one of up to four involved in the attack.

Two black masks, a bloody meat cleaver and carrier bags were found discarded near the scene.

Mr Ellison said the defendant was linked to the crime by fingerprints on a bag and DNA from saliva on one of the masks.

The day after the killing, Rahman, formerly of east London, travelled to New York and was only extradited back from the US in January this year.

Prosecutor Mark Ellison QC said Mr Samad, a married father of two, had been put under pressure to act as an "intermediary" between two groups of Bengalis, but was threatened when he refused to become involved in the feud with a group called the "Stoke Newington Boys".

Mr Ellison said: “The victim had resisted the pressure and declined to get involved and he had been threatened with violence, but still he refused to get involved.”

DNA from another mask matched a man who was extradited from Bangladesh and convicted of Mr Samad’s murder in 2012, jurors were told.

Rahman denies murder and the trial continues.

Additional reporting by Press Association