Killer father ‘bit boy and burnt him with cigarettes and iron’

When doctors saw Haroon Bhatti after he was rushed to Pinderfields Hospital, Wakefield, on January 23, where he was pronounced dead, they immediately noted injuries of varying ages upon his body.

Julian Goose, QC, prosecuting, said it was the Crown’s case that the young boy had been subjected to violence for up to two months by his father, Pazeer Ahmed.

He told the jury at Leeds Crown Court that included being bitten, being burnt with cigarettes and a household iron, and repeatedly punched or hit, causing him to be bruised and cut to various parts of his body including his genital area.

Mr Goose said Haroon had also suffered fractures to bones “but more seriously in the hours leading up to his death, severe force was used to strike him to the head, most probably by banging his head against the bathroom wall”.

In addition, he had received severe blows to his abdomen, causing massive internal bleeding which, with the injury to his brain, had caused his death.

“The defendant’s violence towards his son was not caused on one occasion of explosive violence but on several occasions,” he said.

“His violence was at times cruel, involving biting and burning, and at other times it was severe, involving blows to the head and abdomen.”

Ahmed, 34 of Aberford Road, Wakefield, denies the murder of his son but has admitted his manslaughter.

Mr Goose said that at the time Ahmed had sole care of the boy, having separated from his wife who had returned to Pakistan.

Haroon had remained with his mother for a time but last October was brought back to Yorkshire. He spent a week living with his paternal grandparents in Wakefield but

then went to live with his father. On the evening of November 3 Ahmed took his son to accident and emergency at Pinderfields, having earlier been at a Bradford supermarket where he told staff the boy had slipped on some 
water on the floor in the customer toilets.

Haroon was found to have a broken arm which was put in plaster and no other injury was noted.

He was seen again on December 6 by which time the pot was off and the arm was healing appropriately.

Mr Goose said Ahmed never took Haroon for medical treatment for any other injuries before he told paramedics on January 23 that he had found his son cold and unresponsive in bed.

Attempts were made to resuscitate the five-year-old and he was rushed to Pinderfields but was pronounced dead.

Paramedics noticed Haroon had a black eye and a recent cut to his chin as well as a significant cut to his leg and a bite mark on his cheek.

Ahmed told a police officer that his son had been sick earlier that morning after eating two oranges and he had put him back to bed because the boy was tired and had then later had found him unresponsive.

Mr Goose told the jury it was the opinion of a consultant in anaesthesia and pain medicine that 
the overall pattern of injuries caused over a significant period of time would have produced 
severe pain and distress for Haroon.

“Also he would have sometimes have appeared lethargic or sleepy due to the effects of repeated trauma. It is likely that the pain would have impaired his ability to sleep, to feed and to function normally. All of this would have been obvious to anyone who saw him,” he added.

When questioned Ahmed denied in interview hitting his son. He admitted biting him but said it was while play fighting.

He said Haroon had also cut his face, leg and foot falling out of the bath but said he was not aware of other injuries or would have sought help for him.

The trial continues.