Murder accused denies 'cover up' over fatal Northern Quarter stabbing

A man accused of murder has denied he responded to a call to attack a man who suffered fatal stab wounds in Manchester's Northern Quarter. Hussein Muhalhal, 20, told a jury he was responding to a call for help.

Ahmed Alsharan, 33, was stabbed in the heart and pushed into the canal near Dale Street in the city centre - where he was said to have been drinking coffee - in August last year. He climbed out of the canal before going back to Dale Street where he collapsed, it was said. He received open heart surgery at the scene but died later, a jury has been told. His friend Sami Alhaj was also stabbed but survived.

Today (Monday) Mr Mulhahal, one of six accused, was questioned by prosecutor Sharon Beattie KC about his alleged role in the incident as the trial continued at Minshull Street Crown Court.

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The defendant repeatedly said he could not recall messages and phone calls he was said to be involved in around the time of the attack.

He told the jury he had heard someone shouting 'help, help' in English and Arabic.

Ms Beattie said: "In fact, it wasn't help, help. It was calling you with knives. You knew that when you went there."

"No miss," replied the defendant, who denied he was responding to a call from co-defendant Al-Enizi Hameed.

The KC continued: "What I'm suggesting to you is all these memory lapses, all these 'I don't know what this was about, I never discussed it', it's not true and this account is intended simply to cover up the fact that you along with your friends, your co-accused, did exactly what Mr Al-Enizi Hameed asked you to do. You came and you brought knives and you killed someone and you