A TAKE-AWAY delivery man beat his love rival to death in a jealous rage and set the body alight, a court heard.

Tasawar Hussain killed 24-year-old Shadaz Fayyaz in a field off a country lane near Horwich and then poured petrol over the corpse.

A murder inquiry was launched when two boys out on a bike ride found the body.

Hussain, aged 36, of Bromwich Street, The Haulgh, pleaded not guilty to murder at Liverpool Crown Court yesterday.

Charles Garside QC, prosecuting, said the background to case was "a tale of sexual intrigue and jealousy".

He added: "The cause of death was not burning, but repeated blows to the head and face. He had been attacked with something like a hammer and struck repeatedly until beaten to death."

The prosecution claim the defendant killed Mr Fayyaz in the field and then set fire to the body using petrol.

Mr Garside added there was no dispute about the cause of death, but who was responsible was the issue for the jury to decide.

He said that the victim had been married to Khatija Fayyaz and had three young daughters. However, in the months leading up to the killing, she had been having an affair with Hussain. She and her husband separated and eventually she moved with her children to live in Scotland where Hussain visited her on a regular basis.

Shortly before her husband was killed, Khatija had made up her mind to go back to her husband at their home in Rishton Lane, Great Lever.

"It is this which led Tasawar Hussain to kill his lover's husband," said Mr Garside.

On the day of his death, Saturday November 10, Mr Fayyaz had been to a wedding in Birmingham and returned to Bolton on a coach. He was last seen alive at 7.30pm. Hussain was working for the Five Star takeaway in Bolton delivering meals, but then went missing. He claimed his Nissan Micra car had broken down and then been stolen.

"On several occasions between 7.45pm and 8.35pm his car was seen in the George's Lane area with two people in it. At 8.45pm, the fire was seen in the field."

About 9pm, Hussain rang his nephew, Imran Khan, who was working at the Star of India restaurant in Blackpool, to say he was coming to see him, and they met outside a flat in Lytham Road, Blackpool, where the restaurant staff live.

Hussain, who was in his Micra, had blood on his T-shirt and left forearm and asked for a shower and change of clothes.

Mr Khan left him there but later received another call from Hussain asking for a lift home. He then confessed to killing Mr Fayyaz.

The Micra was later found burnt out in Blackpool. Petrol had been used and the can was found in the car. The car was later examined by forensicscientists and, despite the fire, traces of Shadaz Fayyaz's blood were found. When arrested, Hussain denied having anything to do with the death. Mr Garside alleged he was lying and that he had the motive to kill his victim.

He was having an affair with the victim's wife and believed Mr Fayyaz had set fire to his car when he was on holiday in Turkey with Khatija and her daughters.

Imran Khan told the jury that when he met his uncle Hussain in Blackpool and saw the blood on him, he told him he had been in a fight. But, while he was driving him home, Hussain told him that Mr Fayyaz, whose nickname was "Skinner", had rung and arranged to meet him.

They went for a drive in Hussain's Micra towards Horwich and Mr Fayyaz said he had a gun. Hussain said he then hit him over the head with a hammer and poured petrol over him and set the body alight, said Mr Khan.

The court has heard that Mr Khan has pleaded guilty to assisting an offender and is in custody awaiting sentence after the trial.

(Proceeding)