Jury told asylum seeker stabbed innocent Hartlepool pensioner to death and tried to kill Christian convert housemate due to Gaza conflict

Ahmed Alid, 45, is standing trial at Teesside Crown Court for events which took place in Hartlepool early on Sunday, October 15 last year.

Between 4am and 5am, he is accused of trying to kill his housemate Javed Nouri by stabbing him as he lay in bed at the house they shared in Wharton Terrace.

The jury was told that afterwards Alid left the house and walked into the town centre where he fatally stabbed 70-year-old Terence Carney six times in Tees Street.

The conflict between Israel and Palestine in Gaza, which erupted eight days earlier, is alleged to have been the motive for Alid, described as a “strict Muslim”.

Opening the prosecution's case on Thursday morning, barrister Jonathan Sandiford said, Alid, armed with two knives, kicked open the door of Mr Nouri’s bedroom and shouted “Allahu Akbar” – God is great – before stabbing him several times including in the chest.

Mr Sandiford said: “Fortunately Mr Nouri woke up as he was being stabbed in the chest and he was able to fight off the defendant.

"Sadly, ladies and gentlemen, the defendant, still armed with one of those knives left the house, went onto the streets of Hartlepool where he chanced upon a man called Terence Carney, who was 70 years of age.

"The defendant attacked Mr Carney with a knife, stabbing him several times in the chest and upper body and Mr Carney died at the scene.”

Mr Carney was found at the corner of Tees Street and Raby Road.

Alid was arrested by armed police at the corner of Victoria Road and York Road. The knife was said to be in his waistband.

The court heard the house in Wharton Terrace was being used on behalf of the Home Office as accommodation for four asylum seekers including Alid and Mr Nouri.

Mr Sandiford said there had “friction” building between Mr Nouri and Alid because Mr Nouri had converted from Islam to Christianity.

"He appears to have regarded Mr Nouri as an apostate, someone who had denied their religion and therefore for that reason deserved to die,” said Mr Sandiford.

The jury was told Alid paid particular attention to the surprise attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7 and had started keeping a knife on him.

Mr Nouri and his housemates became concerned and reported their fears to the house management company and the police.

The police were said to have given advice but took no further action.

Referring to the alleged attacks on both victims, Mr Sandiford added: “The defendant said to the police that he had wanted to kill any other people on the streets of Hartlepool that evening because of the conflict in Gaza and further his desire, as he saw it, that Palestine would be free from the Zionists, by which he meant the state of Israel.

"The defendant said to the police that he would have killed more people if he had been able to do so."

Alid denies attempted murder, murder and two counts of assaulting female police officers.

The trial continues.