'Killer shot my son dead, then pointed gun at me,' dad of Tipu Sultan tells court

Tipu Sultan died almost instantly as a result of a wound to the neck from a sawn-off shotgun after a killer wearing a motorcycle helmet burst into Herbs & Spice Kitchen in South Shields and opened fire last April.

Newcastle Crown Court heard the intruder then turned his double-barrelled shotgun towards Mr Sultan's father Amin Miah, who managed to slam an internal door at the shop and stay safe.

When the gunman left the scene, Mr Miah, 61, held his son's hand and checked for breathing, but quickly realised he was dead.

Mr Miah gave evidence today at Newcastle Crown Court in the trial of two men accused of murdering his son.

Prosecutors claim Michael Mullen and Michael McDougall carried out the killing, which they both deny, and are being tried by a jury.

Tipu Sultan killing accused confessed it was 'robbery gone wrong,' court toldMr Miah told jurors that he, his son Tipu, 32, from Sunderland, and the chef they employed had been cleaning the kitchen at their business when someone, wearing a helmet that revealed only his eye area, kicked the back door and came in.

Mr Miah, giving evidence with the help of an interpreter, said: "At first he didn't say anything, then after a few seconds he said 'you, you, you'.

"Then he targeted his gun towards Tipu and bang, the shot. He said 'hey you' and just fired.

"Next he targeted towards me, to shoot at me. I closed the middle door to save myself."

Mr Miah said he clung on to the door handle as the gunman tried for "two to three seconds" to try to get to him.

"I was shouting at the tandoori chef 'help me, help me'. Once I felt the handle was loose at the other side, I opened the door and couldn't see him.

"He had shot Tipu and left. I shouted 'help me, help me' and I called the police."

Mr Miah said his son was lying lifeless outside the back door of the shop.

"I held his hand, I checked his breathing, none was there. I shouted 'help me, help me, Tipu is dead'."

Prosecutors claim Mullen and McDougall went to Mullen's girlfriend's house after the shooting, where they hid the gun and dumped the bike before heading to another woman's home, where they drank lager together.

Mullen, 24, of Hawthorne Avenue, and McDougall, 47, of Hylton Avenue, both South Shields, both deny murder, manslaughter and possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life.

Mullen denies a charge of perverting the course of justice, while McDougall denies possession of a firearm.

The trial continues.