A man whose brother is accused of stabbing their mother today told a Court of his shock when he saw a blade sticking into her face.

Mohammed Zanul Islam Hussain, 21, of Water Lily Road, Heaton, is accused of wounding his mother Hafsa Begum with intent to cause her grievous bodily harm on August 13 last year.

He pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to wounding her but claims he had not intended to cause her serious injury.

The trial jury at Bradford Crown Court has been told Hussain suffers from paranoia and bipolar disorder and deals with his condition by drinking to excess.

Hussain’s younger brother Habib told the court today he had returned home at about 8.30pm on August 13, finding his brother whom he described as being a bit drunk, saying he was “going to kill them”. Habib said he believed his brother was talking about people who had beaten him up earlier. Hussain began arguing with him and their mother, Habib said.

A fight ensued between the two brothers and the defendant was held in a bear hug before he ran into the kitchen, the court was told. “At that point I know he’s either going to pick up a knife or whatever he can get hold of,” Habib told the jury.

He then went to pick up a metal bar from the garden for his own safety, he said, from where he could see Hussain and his mother through a window.

“He swore at her and threw a punch at her, that’s all I saw,” he said. “At that point I started running back towards the house.

“I saw him punch her and at that point she screamed.”

Habib said he tried to swing with the bar for his brother whom he said had a knife in his hand. He said his brother came toward him with a motion he described as a “slash”.

When he saw his mother, Habib said, she was crying and asking for help. He described having seen a blade stuck between her eye and nose. “I was just shocked, scared, gutted, thinking it was my fault,” he told the jury.

The trial continues.