Exclusive:Cosham stabbing victim may have instigated broad daylight incident, eyewitness tells court

A man who was stabbed in broad daylight in Cosham may have instigated a brawl that led to his life-threatening injury, a witness has said.

Abdul and Attiquallah Shinwari are on trial at Portsmouth Crown Court, accused of attempted murder and grievous bodily harm after a stabbing in Hawthorn Crescent on March 12 this year. The former is also charged with possession of a bladed article in a public place. They both deny all charges.

Abdul, 20 from Alma Road, Southampton, was a student at the Highbury campus of the City of Portsmouth College at the time. Attiquallah, 23 from St Helen’s Parade, Southsea, had previously studied there. The two are not related, but appeared in the dock together.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) alleges that they were part of a group of six that attacked Sefatullah Ibrahimkhel and a friend - although they are the only two who face charges.

At Portsmouth Crown Court today (Friday, September 25), defence barrister Keely Harvey called upon eyewitness Macz Etherington, who was walking up Portsmouth Road at the time of the incident. He told the jury that, from his perspective, it was Mr Ibrahimkhel who may have started the incident by “shouting” at the group that included Shinwari and Shinwari.

He said: “I had been to the McDonald’s in Cosham, and was travelling home on foot. I was walking up the road, on the side closest to the park. I had reached the traffic lights when Sefatullah and his group came out and started an altercation.

“I didn’t know the others, but I have seen them around. They started shouting to another group of lads who were walking towards the college - shouting in their native language, so I don’t know what was said.

“The other group was just walking across the road, heading down towards the college, McDonald’s and the big roundabout for Portsea island.”

Mr Etherington added that there were “definitely sticks being carried” and told the jury that Mr Ibrahimkhel and his friends were “standing over one of them, hitting him with it.”

His testimony directly contradicted that given by the stabbing victim himself, who insisted that he had no interest in violence, and approached Abdul Shinwari to try and resolve a dispute between them.

After the incident, he confirmed that those involved ran off in different directions, as the jury had already been told earlier in the trial. Mr Etherington said: “One went towards the college, and another ran towards the train station.

“There was definitely an argument of some kind. As they got closer to each other, that’s when the weapons got pulled out.”

The trial had initially been scheduled to run for two weeks, but will now continue into a third week on Monday, September 28.

(Proceeding)