times from behind through the throat and chest with a foot-long hunting knife. The knife penetrated completely through his body on two occasions and as he was lying on the ground he was repeatedly kicked and struck with a panel beater's hammer. Toms ran to a nearby petrol station for help and a man there gave her his mobile phone to call the police. While making the call, she twice heard Parker cry out in pain. By chance she spotted a passing police car. She entered the car and guided the officer to the scene of the assault. Although Toms had only been away for a few minutes, by the time she returned Parker had already bled to death and the gang had disappeared. After the murder, four of the gang returned to a garage which they used as their headquarters. Ahmed Ali Awan, brandishing the bloodied knife, exclaimed "cherish the blood". The police informed Parker's family of his death at 4:30 a.m.; his body remained at the scene during the day while an investigation was conducted. A post-mortem revealed Parker had died as a result of stab wounds inflicted by a bladed instrument. Arrests and charges Parker's murder sparked what became one of the biggest police inquiries in the history of Peterborough. During the weekend following the attack, twelve suspects of Pakistani descent were arrested on suspicion of murder. Members of the local Muslim community posted a £1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the killers, later increasing to £1,500. Detective Chief Inspector Dick Harrison, who was overseeing the case, praised the city's Muslim community for their involvement in capturing the murderers. On 26 September 2001, Sarfraz Ali, Ahmed Ali Awan and Shaied Nazir appeared in court charged with Parker's murder. Zairaff Mahrad was charged the following day. However, by March 2002 all four defendants had been controversially released on bail. Parker's sister, Leanne, stated "we can't begin to comprehend why they've been allowed out of prison at this stage". Parker's family were so concerned about the decision that they wrote a letter of complaint to the Home Secretary, David Blunkett. The Home Office refused to comment on the case and the men remained free on bail. Trial On 7 November 2002, Awan, Nazir, Ali and Mahrad all of Millfield, Peterborough, stood trial for Parker's murder at Northampton Crown Court, pleading not guilty. Awan, 22, ran a