Beeston murder trial: 'Brothers abandoned attempt to flee country hours after 'revenge' killing as one did not have a passport'

Two brothers accused of murder abandoned an attempt to flee the country hours after a man was fatally stabbed in Leeds because one of them did not have a passport, a court heard.
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A murder trial heard Omar Ishaq and Kearon Barker travelled to Hull with a plan to board a ferry to Amsterdam in the hours after Keith Harrower died when he was stabbed in the neck outside a shop in Beeston.

Leeds Crown Court heard the brothers were driven to docks in Hull by their father as internet searches were made for 'last minute' journeys across the North Sea.

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Ishaq and Barker are on trial accused of the murder of Mr Harrower outside the Premier convenience store on Dewsbury Road, Beeston, on December 12, 2019.

Keith Harrower died after being stabbed in the neck outside the Premier store on Dewsbury Road, Beeston, on December 12, 2019.Keith Harrower died after being stabbed in the neck outside the Premier store on Dewsbury Road, Beeston, on December 12, 2019.
Keith Harrower died after being stabbed in the neck outside the Premier store on Dewsbury Road, Beeston, on December 12, 2019.

The prosecution claims the brothers lured the 40-year-old to the area before stabbing him in a revenge attack.

Barker, 31, of Cardinal Crescent, Beeston, and Ishaq, 34, of Low Lane, Horsforth, plead not guilty to murder.

Toby Hedworth QC, prosecuting, told the jury how the defendants' father drove them in his Ford Fiesta to flats on Low Lane, Horsforth, after the incident.

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The pair got out of the vehicle and went into the flats before returning a few minutes later.

Keith HarrowerKeith Harrower
Keith Harrower

The prosecutor said: "They returned to the vehicle no doubt having equipped themselves for the next stage of the journey."

The Fiesta was then driven to the home of a relative in Bradford.

Mr Hedworth said: "During the journey Kearon Barker used his mobile phone to connect to the internet. His web history reveals him making a number of similar searches."

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Internet search terms included 'boats to Amsterdam', 'Hull to Amsterdam ferries tonight'. 'how can I get to Amsterdam', and 'UK to Amsterdam last minute'.

Crime scene after fatal stabbing of Keith Harrower on Dewsbury Road, Beeston.Crime scene after fatal stabbing of Keith Harrower on Dewsbury Road, Beeston.
Crime scene after fatal stabbing of Keith Harrower on Dewsbury Road, Beeston.

The court heard that when they arrived in Bradford, the defendants' father asked to borrow his relative's car, claiming his own vehicle "was not running correctly".

The three men then switched vehicles to a Toyota Yaris which was driven to Hull.

Automatic number plate recognition cameras picked up the vehicle entering King George Dock at Hull and 10.41pm but returning from the area within minutes.

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Mr Hedworth said: "It appears they were too late for a ferry."

The court heard defendants' father dropped his sons off in Hull and returned home alone.

Barker's phone was used to make internet searches for accommodation near to the ferry port.

CCTV footage showed the pair going to the Mayfair Hotel on Beverley Road after being dropped off from the Yaris.

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The prosecutor said the internet searches then changed. One search term included 'is provisional licence id ok for ferry to Amsterdam'.

Mr Hedworth said: "Clearly the inference was that one or the other did not have a passport for international travel on a ferry."

The prosecutor continued: "By 12.20am on December 13, any attempt to flee the country appears to have been abandoned.

"While Kearon Barker had his passport with him, Omar Ishaq has never had a passport."

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Jurors were told Barker then searched 'Hull taxi' and the defendants caught a cab back to Leeds.

The taxi driver recalled how the pair had told him they had been to Hull 'to visit some girls'.

Barker was arrested at his partner's home in Beeston around 6am later the same morning.

Ishaq was arrested at his father's home two days later.

The trial continues