Lancashire butcher jailed for life over alleyway murder

Naeem Butt was jailed for life at Preston Crown Court

A Lancashire butcher who slit the throat of his estranged wife's lover in an alleyway has been caged for life.

Naeem Butt, 38, of Johnston Street, Blackburn was convicted of killing Saheel Ahmed, 24, at Preston Crown Court on Thursday.

Butt cut Mr Ahmed's throat with a foot-long (30cm) knife and stabbed him six times in the early hours of 22 June 2010.

A post mortem confirmed the 24-year-old, who was also from Blackburn, died of multiple injuries having suffered a number of stab wounds.

A court heard how Butt had lay in wait for Mr Ahmed as he left the home of the his wife Shakra Ali.

After he attacked him, he left the scene in Warrington Street and called a taxi to his address in Johnston Street.

He changed out of his bloodstained clothes but left a pair of jeans behind with blood which matched that of Mr Ahmed.

Later the same morning he boarded a train from Manchester to Edinburgh and remained at large for two weeks, shaving off his beard in a bid to evade the police.

He was arrested after CCTV images of him captured on the rail journey were released by detectives.

Detective Superintendant Neil Hunter, from the Force Major Investigation Team, said: “This was a particularly tragic case in which a young member of the local community was brutally murdered. The level of violence used was incomprehensible and Naeem Butt deserves to spend a very long time behind bars.

“The murder was borne out of a combination of factors including rage, jealousy, revenge and also an element of honour. Saheel’s family have acted with great dignity throughout this very difficult ordeal and have fully supported the police investigation.

“Our thoughts are very much with them and I hope that bringing Butt to justice for this heinous crime will provide them with a small amount of comfort as they continue to come to terms with their loss.

“Finally, I would like to pay special thanks to our colleagues at Lothian and Borders Police for their assistance with the early part of this investigation and their highly professional work.”

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