Rashane Douglas jailed for life over Halifax double murder

A 19-year-old man will spend at least 28 years in prison for murdering two men outside a nightclub.

Rashane Douglas, 19, fatally stabbed Joshua Clark, 21, and Haidar Shah, 19, outside Maggie’s in Commercial Street, Halifax, on 1 October.

A trial at Bradford Crown Court was told Douglas had launched his attack after a row over a woman.

In a statement to the court earlier on Tuesday, Mr Shah’s mother said: “No words can ever describe the way I’m feeling.”

The court heard Douglas, of Jade Place, Huddersfield, had become “angry and jealous” when he arrived at Maggie’s and found that a woman he had been expecting to meet was already with Mr Shah.

A fight broke out outside the club later that night and Mr Shah was stabbed, along with his friends Mr Clark and Brandon Coupe, 18.

Only Mr Coupe survived his injuries.

On 12 March, following a trial, Douglas was convicted of two counts of murder and one count of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

At the time of the murders, Douglas had also been in breach of a suspended sentence imposed in January 2023 for possession of a knife.

Sentencing him to life imprisonment, the Recorder of Bradford, Judge Jonathan Rose, told him: “You drew the knife, you opened the knife and you then used the knife to stab Josh, Haidar and then Brandon in rapid succession.

“In my view, you did not have to do so.”

Yaseen Iqbal, 18, of Hall Bower, Huddersfield, was found guilty of assisting an offender.

The court heard Iqbal had organised a taxi from the scene, let Douglas stay at his house and helped him dispose of his clothes.

Iqbal, who had no previous convictions, was sentenced to 12 months at a young offender institution.

Several family members gave statements during Tuesday’s hearing.

Mr Clark’s mother, Rachel, who is a police officer, said Joshua had been her only child and “everything and more” she had wished for in a son.

“The cruel actions of one individual did not only take away my son but also shattered my sense of self,” she said.

“I lost my identity as a mother.”

Mr Shah’s mother, Yasmin Begum Shah, told the court she was struggling with the reality of having lost her son.

She said: “No words can ever describe the way I’m feeling.

“I have health conditions that I should be taking medications for but now I do not care, the sooner I die, the sooner I can be with Haidar.”

Mr Shah’s brother added: “Haidar wasn’t just another person, his life had meaning, he was loved by a lot of people.

“I think about the future, I will get married, have children, and Haidar will not be there, he will just be an everlasting memory for me to think about.”