Yassar’s friend guilty over gun conspiracy

Moshin Amin - a friend of Yassar Yakub who was shot dead by an armed officer during a police stop on the M62 - has been convicted at Leeds Crown Court of conspiracy to possess firearms and ammunition

Amin told the court that when Mr Yaqub was shot the pair had just attended a meeting in Bradford with drug dealer Mohammed Nisar Khan, aka Meggy, in which he agreed to ‘hand over’ Mr Sidat for a fee.

Amin, who has moved from Huddersfield to an address in Manchester that was not read out in court, was remanded into custody.

Butlin, 39, of Huddersfield Road in Holmfirth, was bailed.

The pair will be sentenced on the afternoon of December 12.

Arapaj, 28, of Thornlea Road in Crosland Moor, walked free from court with family and friends.

Speaking after the trial, Mr Yaqub’s dad Mohammed denied his son was an armed drug dealer and gave alternative explanations for the circumstantial evidence.

Mr Yaqub claimed Amin made up his defence statement and that his son was a drug dealer, adding: “If he had kept to the truth, perhaps today the results might have been different.”

But he did agree with Amin’s version of events that Mr Yaqub went to Bradford to speak to a man called Meggy about money Mr Sidat owed him for a car and that Mr Yaqub was not armed and was on the phone to Mr Sidat when he was shot by police.

Mr Yaqub Senior denied that his son was afraid of Meggy, who was described by the prosecution as his rival, adding: “Yassar was a strong man, he doesn’t fear anybody.

“I don’t fear Meggy. Who is Meggy?”