TWO teenagers were stabbed in Slough in an ‘unprovoked but not random attack’, a court has heard.
At Reading Crown Court, four teenagers are now on trial charged in connection with the incident which took place inside Queensmere Observatory Shopping Centre on High Street on January 13 this year.
All from Slough, Abbas Bukhari, 19, of Whittaker Road, Baba Sarr, 19, of Elmwood Road, Jack Sumner, 19, of Tomlin Road, and a 15-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared in the dock yesterday (July 25) for the trial which is expected to last eight days.
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Opening the case, prosecuting barrister Matthew Hodgetts told the jury that two men, aged 18, were stabbed inside the shopping centre. One was stabbed in the chest and the other in the back.
However, Ammar Quereshi and Abdullah Dubbad have declined to cooperate with the police so neither will be prosecution witness in this case.
Introducing the trial, Mr Hodgetts said: “Both men were stabbed by the first defendant, Mr Bukhari, and he was armed with a knife.
“However, each of the defendants joined in the attack. Now, this attack was unprovoked but though it was unprovoked, it wasn’t random.”
He added that the defendants could be seen on CCTV entering a side street near the shopping centre before they turned around and followed the two men.
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Explaining the incident, Mr Hodgetts continued: “Jack Sumner runs forwards and punches Ammar Quereshi in the chest.
“Now that serves as a distraction as Mr Bukhari shows up holding a knife in his right hand and then stabs Mr Quereshi in the right side of his chest.
“Meanwhile, Baba Sarr runs past to Abdullah Dubbad who is running, going away from where the violence is developing.”
He said Bukhari then allegedly stabs Dubbad in the back who then runs and falls into a barber shop where the Bukhari allegedly tried to stab him again. The 15-year-old also allegedly ran towards Dubbad and kicks him while Sumner continue to fight with Quereshi.
“The four defendants [then] run out of the shopping centre through the doors back into the High Street,” said Mr Hodgetts.
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“But it’s a little bit of a struggle to get out as they are in a hurry and need to get through the same door and the consequence is that Mr Bukhari drops the knife that he used to stab the two men.”
After calling ambulance and police, the two teenagers were taken to hospital and were later released.
The trial continues.
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