Hundreds gather to say goodbye to Sajed Choudry at his funeral

Communities from across Blackburn gathered at the Madina Mosque to pay their respects to Sajed Choudry, 41, who died last month.

Following the Janazah, the Islamic funeral prayer, the father-of-four’s coffin was placed into a hearse by close friends and family, which was decorated with flowers spelling the word ‘dad’, and taken to Pleasington Cemetery and Crematorium to be buried.

Around 850 people gathered at the mosque in Oak Street to pay their respects.

Mr Choudry suffered horrific injuries in the incident in Rhyl Avenue, Blackburn, on November 27. He remained in a coma for more than a week and died on December 13.

Mr Choudry’s uncle, Cllr Tasleem Fazal, who sits on Blackburn with Darwen Council, said the incident had shook the whole community.

He said: “We have to now move forward from this devastating moment and show as an example to the younger generations that this sort of behaviour is not acceptable or condoned.

“It was a terrible thing to happen and it has really hit the family and the wider community hard.

“Mr Choudry was a great man and what happened was completely out of the blue.

“The community will now come together and be there for the family and show we are together and behind them.

“It has been really pleasing to see so many people come here and support the immediate family. I would like to thank everyone for their support.”

Family said Mr Choudry had his ears cut off during the attack and underwent a 14-hour operation to have them re-attached, using a skin graft from his legs to complete the surgery.

Four men and a 14-year-old boy, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, are all charged with Mr Choudry’s murder.

Rafaqat Ali, 38 and Fazal Ilahi, 62, of Tenby Close, Blackburn, Sadaqat Ali, 36, of Rhyl Avenue, Blackburn, Syed Akbar, 44, of Cedar Street, Blackburn, and the teenager are also charged with attempting to murder Mr Choudry’s son, Ahsan Choudry.