A WAITER told a jury he saw an Asian woman and a European white man fleeing a hotel minutes after a man was stabbed to death.

Arshad Mahmood said they looked ‘agitated’ as they ran down the steps away from the building.

Yasira Pervez, 22, of Pendle Street, Accrington and Ian Priddle, 46, of Jubilee Road, Haslingden, deny murdering Khuram Mukhtar on December 30, 2006.

The prosecution alleged Pervez travelled to Pakistan with her new lover Priddle to kill her husband Mr Mukhtar.

Peter Wright QC said Pervez arranged to meet her husband in the Comfort Inn Hotel in Rawalpindi in December 2006.

The jury heard Mr Mahmood had seen an Asian woman and a white man coming to the Comfort Inn.

Khuram Mukhtar, 21, had arrived approximatley 20 minutes earlier and was waiting in room 109.

He told Manchester Crown Court: “They were running out of the steps and they looked quite agitated.

“When they were going out I saw them, they were crossing and I saw the speed they were going.

“The room 109 door was open. They were walking quite fast and they were crossing each other and there was only two coming out.

“I thought they were only in for 20-25 minutes and they were leaving so early and walking so quickly and so fast.”

Mr Mahmood said he found Mr Mukhtar collapsed in the bed with his legs dangling down the side of the bed.

He said: “I saw Khurum was injured. He was lying on the bed and his legs were hanging out.

“He was making deep breaths, he didn’t speak.

Mr Mahmood said police returned to the hotel after Mr Muhktar was found dead and after a search they found a knife, which he believed to be a kitchen knife.

Khuram was rushed to hospital where he was prounounced dead.

Mr Wright said Mr Mukhtar suffered two major stab wounds, one to his chest and one to his abdomem.

His lungs stomach and liver were perforated and his heart was wounded.

During the hearing yesterday Mr Wright said the pair fled Pakistan during the aftermath of the stabbing, but were both arrested as they arrived back at Manchester Airport.

(Proceeding)