'Things will never be the same again' - Statement from grieving family after Ahmed Alid is convicted of murdering Hartlepool pensioner Terrence Carney

Relatives of the the 70-year-old murder victim have also praised the housemates of killer Ahmed Alid for their bravery in giving evidence against him.

Alid, 45, was convicted by a Teesside Crown Court jury on Thursday of murdering Mr Carney and attempting to murder Javed Nouri in Hartlepool last October.

In a statement, the Carney family said the police prevented further deaths at the hands of the knifeman who was arrested roaming the streets of Hartlepool still armed with a knife in his waistband.

They said: “We would like to thank everyone involved in the investigation, from the first responding officers, whose swift actions that day prevented anyone else from being hurt, to the investigation team.”

They thanked the legal system, including the prosecution, judge and jury, for bringing them justice, and their family liaison team for their support.

“We would not want anyone else to have to go through what we have had to go through over the last six months, and what we will continue to go through for the rest of our lives,” they said.

“For us, things will never be the same again.”

Speaking of the men present at Wharton Terrace, Hartlepool, where Alid tried to kill housemate Javed Nouri while shouting “Allahu Akbar” – God is great – the family praised their bravery.

“We would especially like to thank Mr Javed Nouri, Mr Ariyan Karimi and Mr Mohammed Karimi,” the family said.

“What they themselves endured that night was truly horrific. They believed they too were going to die.

“Despite this, they fully assisted the police with their inquiries and gave their evidence in court, which is testament to their characters.

“These three men were the voice of our loved one, when he was unable to speak out for himself.

“For this we will forever be grateful to them.

“We have watched the whole trial intently, and whilst today’s guilty verdict will not bring back Terence our beloved husband, father and grandfather, we can take some small comfort in knowing that justice has been served.

“We would now like the time to grieve for him privately.”

Mr Carney would often walk through Hartlepool town centre at around 5am and it was while doing this that his path crossed with Alid.

A post-mortem examination revealed Mr Carney was not intoxicated at the time of his death.

Alid was remanded in custody until he is sentenced at the court on Friday, May 17.