MURDERED Jasem Asakerh was facing charges of attempted kidnap and grievous bodily harm before he was gunned down, the Examiner can reveal.

The 28-year-old had been in court just hours before he was killed by a single bullet wound a week ago today.

Mr Asakerh was at Bradford Crown Court on Thursday with fellow defendant, Zahid Ali, accused of assaulting another man.

They were alleged to have caused him grievous bodily harm before trying to abduct him on November 10 last year.

Hours after the preliminary hearing, Mr Asakerh, of Birkby Hall Road, Birkby, was shot in the chest while he sat in an Audi Q7 car on Brook Street in Thornton Lodge.

Police revealed at the weekend that Mr Asakerh was known to police before his death, but would not say why.

Det Supt Steve Payne, who is leading the investigation into his death, said the murder squad had considered a link between the criminal charges against Mr Asakerh and his murder.

But he added: “It is a line of inquiry we were looking into but we don’t think it was connected.

“At this stage we do not believe that the person who made the allegations was in any way involved in the shooting.

“Obviously he was known to police and we are looking into his background.”

He said the attempted kidnap and GBH charges related to an incident in which a dispute turned into a fight.

“Mr Asakerh was in dispute with someone else and allegedly ended up punching him.

“Then he and another man were believed to have tried to bundle the man into a car.”

Det Supt Payne said detectives had not spoken to the alleged victim of the incident, but planned to do so.

Mr Asakerh was in an Audi Q7 with four other men when he was killed at 3.50am on Friday.

A lone gunman wearing a bandana across his face is believed to have fired two shots before running off towards Moorbottom Road.

One of the other men, a 26-year-old, suffered minor injured.

Police know the Audi had been on Brook Street at 8pm on Thursday before going into the town centre.

Detectives have released CCTV footage of the car in town in the hours before the shooting.

It is believed the group visited strip clubs before returning to Brook Street.

Police want to hear from anyone with information about the movements of the car, registration GV07 UUW.

Det Supt Payne said: “We know that the men inside the vehicle visited the La Salsa nightclub on Lord Street at around 1:15am.

“The vehicle was also captured travelling along Westgate, Trinity Street and Market Place at around 3am.

“Were you in the La Salsa nightclub that night?

“Do you remember seeing the vehicle pulling up outside the club?

“It is possible that the men had attended a couple of clubs that night and we need to find out who else was inside them.

“It is important that we paint a clear picture of what their movements were before the shooting and who the men have spoken to in the lead up to this incident.”

He said there was a possibility the car was followed or that the killer had seen the men earlier on in the evening.

He added: “This was not a random attack and someone must know who the man is that has shot into the vehicle.

“We need the help of the community to trace him.”

Anyone with information should call police on 01484 436636 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.