A Bradford butcher was stabbed to death by his brother-in-law following accusations that meat he sold was not genuinely halal.

A judge heard how Saif Ur-Rehman was incensed over rumours that his chickens were not being prepared according to strict Muslim tradition.

When he confronted one of his accusers - his sister's husband, Mohammed Parvez Khan - a fight began, which ended with a knife severing a jugular vein.

Dad-of-two Khan, of Cecil Avenue, Little Horton, was jailed yesterday for four-and-a-half years after admitting the manslaughter on December 7 last year.

Judge Alistair McCallum accepted the 31-year-old businessman did not intend to kill Mr Ur-Rehman and that he now felt "genuine, acute remorse".

John Topham, prosecuting, said Mr Ur-Rehman, 33, was involved in three businesses including a halal butchers shop in Great Horton Road.

The dad-of-one and Khan had got on well until the remarks about his halal meat, said Mr Topham. From early December, their relationship soured and Mr Ur-Rehman went to confront Khan at his home.

Mr Topham said the pair were shouting and pushing each other on the doorstep as Mr Khan's brother Fiaz drove up

Three times he managed to part them, put Mr Ur-Rehman into his car and start driving him away. - but Mr Ur-Rehman kept jumping out to continue the row, added Mr Topham.

"Eventually they met between two parked cars and began punching each other," he said.

Fiaz then noticed a considerable amount of blood coming from Mr Ur-Rehman's neck.

A car was flagged down and Khan travelled to Bradford Royal Infirmary with his victim, at one point administering the kiss of life. Mr Ur-Rehman died about an hour later. The court heard by then Khan had left the hospital, washed the blood from his body and burned his clothes.

Mr Topham said he "went on the run" for two days before giving himself up.

Roger Thomas, for Khan, described him as "a very good and decent man" and "a devout practising Muslim."

He pointed out that it had been Mr Ur-Rehman who went to Khan's home, confronting him and then becoming aggressive.

He said Khan was only carrying the knife because of his work as a recovery driver.

Mr Thomas said: "If he didn't have a knife it may well be that his brother-in-law would be the one being prosecuted."

Judge McCallum said it "was difficult to imagine" more mitigating factors to Khan's case and said the knife "just happened" to hit a point where it caused such "terrible damage"