Two men charged with murdering a 16-year-old pedestrian in a hit-and-run were “highly likely” to deny the charge, a judge has said.
Zulkernain Ahmed, 20, and Armaan Ahmed, 26, did not enter any pleas when they were remanded in custody at Sheffield Crown Court, where they appeared briefly in connection with the death of Abdullah Yaser Abdullah Al Yazidi.
The teenager was walking along Staniforth Road in the Darnall area of Sheffield last Wednesday when he was hit by an Audi car and suffered fatal injuries.
Judge Jeremy Richardson KC said he had been told both men were “highly likely to plead not guilty” to the murder charge.
There was no application for bail and he remanded them in custody ahead of a further hearing on October 3.
During the 15-minute hearing on Tuesday, the men, both of Locke Drive, Darnall, confirmed their identities and agreed that they understood the judge’s directions after he had addressed them.
Relatives of Abdullah said last week that he had recently arrived in the UK from Yemen “for a better future” and was devoted to his family.
He arrived in the UK two or three months ago, and was enjoying learning English ahead of starting at college in September.
Abdullah’s relative Saleh Alsirkal said: “His dad brought him over to change his life, to get a better future for his son, but this has happened and destroyed everything.”
Two people, a man aged 46 and a 45-year-old woman, arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender, have both been bailed pending further inquiries, police said.
