FOUR men charged with the murder of a father of seven in a park have denied the offence.

Mohammed Raja Shafiq, 50, was stabbed when he went to the aid of his 18-year-old son to break up a fight.

He was hit over the head with a blunt instrument and then stabbed in the stomach.

Mr Shafiq suffered a 6.5inch-deep stab wound and was taken to hospital following the incident in Thompson Park in Burnley on March 4 but died later that day.

Mohammad Bilal Bhatti, 20, of Holcombe Drive, Burnley, a 16-year-old youth, who cannot be named for legal reasons, Mohammed Shahdab Akhtar, 19, of Scott Park Road, Burnley, and Omar Khalid, 19, of Fairfield Drive, Burnley, denied murdering Mr Shafiq at Preston Crown Court today.

All of the defendants pleaded not guilty to an offence of violent disorder in connection with the death of Mr Shafiq, of York Street, Nelson, Lancashire.

The four men will go on trial at Manchester Crown Court on September 1. The trial is expected to last four weeks.

A police watchdog is investigating a phone call made by Mr Shafiq - who had two children from his first marriage - to police shortly before he was murdered.

Lancashire Police said the call and their response had caused them "some concern" and it has been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.