Jury out in murder trial

An Oldham businessman accused of supplying a sub-machine gun used to kill a Salford shopkeeper is now waiting to hear his fate. 

THE jury in the Manchester Crown Court trial of Arfan Rafiq of Hathershaw has now retired to consider its verdict.

Rafiq has been on trial since the beginning of October under a “joint enterprise” charge of murder and possession of a prohibited weapon.

The court previously heard that shopkeeper Nasar Shazad was killed on July 4, 2009, while working at Brookhouse Wines in Eccles.