A pair of childhood friends accused of robbing a stranger during a birthday night out blamed a mystery ‘third man’.

Shumon Hassan, who turned 26 days after the alleged robbery, and co-defendant Emman Riasat, 21, told jurors at Oxford Crown Court that they knew the third male seen in CCTV laying into the victim – but refused to name him from the witness stand.

In answer to a question from his counsel, Hassan said: “I don’t want to be labelled as a snitch.” He later told prosecutor Ryan Brennan, that he ‘wished’ the third man was in court. “Because then he could tell the truth about what happened?” Mr Brennan asked. Hassan agreed.

Before retiring to consider their verdicts on Thursday afternoon, jurors heard that Hassan and Riasat travelled down to Reading from their native Oxford on December 3 last year for the former’s impending birthday.

They began the celebrations in a casino and planned to go on to the 613 Club massage parlour in Oxford Road. However, when they arrived at the parlour in the early hours they were told the masseuses were busy and to return in 30 minutes’ time.

CCTV showed the men outside a Chinese restaurant next door to the parlour. The third man banged on the window, trying to attract the attention of a man inside the closed takeaway. “He was saying open the f***ing door,” Hassan told the jury.

The takeaway’s door remained locked and the lights were turned off. The third man was seen flashing a grin as he turned towards the road.

All three men approached a passerby, who told the jury he had felt intimidated by the men and claimed a racist slur was used by the group.

Their attention turned to a second man, who was returning to his home after drinking eight pints. Hassan claimed Riasat told him the man used a racist insult. He told the jury he punched the man in the face, knocking him to the floor, after learning of the slur.

Both Hassan and Riasat said they had tried to pull or push their friend away as he landed blows on the man.

“It was just a bit ridiculous. He didn’t need to do none of that,” Hassan said.

They said it was this third man who stole various items from the victim, including his glasses and phone. The victim claimed to have heard a shout of ‘give me the keys’, although the defendants suggested this referred to the third man’s car keys – allegedly then in Hassan’s possession.

Hassan told jurors he tried to pull the victim to his feet, denying the prosecutor’s suggestion he was checking the man for belongings to steal.

Asked about the journey back to Oxford, Hassan said: “I made him pull over the car a couple of times. I was still angry about what he’d done. The response [he was giving] was just very stupid. He was just being very stubborn.”

Closing the prosecution’s case to the jury, Mr Brennan poo-pooed the suggestion that the third man, ‘blinded by rage at his lack of a Chinese takeaway’, had launched the attack while the two defendants made ‘not very concerted’ efforts to prevent him laying into the victim.

Stephen Bailey, for Riasat, reminded the jury that they needed to be ‘sure’ of his client’s guilt before convicting him of robbery. The fact Riasat and Hassan had repeatedly pushed the third man back may affect whether they could be sure, he suggested.

“If they were all in it together, as the prosecution suggests, why would you push one of your fellow robbers back away from the scene?” the barrister asked.

Hassan, of Humfrey Road, Oxford, and Riasat, of Outram Road, Oxford, deny robbery. The trial continues.

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This story was written by Tom Seaward. He joined the team in 2021 as Oxfordshire's court and crime reporter.  

To get in touch with him email: Tom.Seaward@newsquest.co.uk

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