Callum Howe has been found guilty of manslaughter after his friend Mohammed Shaan Ali Rasul was killed in an attack inside a flat in Hartlepool.
Prosecutors said Howe, 23, struck Rasul, also 23, at least 10 times in the face with an axe or hatchet in a bedroom at his flat in Allerton Close on 23 November 2025.
A pathologist told Teesside Crown Court that Rasul died from a combination of facial and head injuries.
Howe, of Blakelock Gardens, denied murder and claimed he acted in self-defence after being attacked by his friend. Jurors found him not guilty of murder but convicted him of manslaughter after just over three hours of deliberations.
He was remanded in custody and is due to be sentenced on 23 July.
Emergency services found Rasul on the bedroom floor of Howe’s first-floor flat shortly after 11.15am on 23 November. Paramedics attempted CPR but he was pronounced dead a short time later.
The court heard Rasul and his Japanese Akita dog had been staying at Howe’s flat with another man in the days before the killing. Prosecutors said the three men had been taking large quantities of cocaine and had not been eating or sleeping.
Howe told the court tensions had been rising in the flat. He said he was terrified of Rasul’s dog and claimed the animal had become agitated and was growling behind a bedroom door during an altercation.
He said the situation escalated into violence and told jurors he had been fighting for his life and believed he was going to die.
Howe claimed Rasul picked up the hatchet first and started swinging it, before he eventually got hold of it himself.
Prosecutor Peter Makepeace KC rejected that account and told the court Howe had attacked Rasul in a drug-fuelled rage. He said the violence arose from issues over drugs, which Howe denied.
Defence barrister Nicholas Lumley KC said Howe had fought for his life after being attacked by a man who was heavily under the influence of cocaine and armed with a hatchet.
During cross-examination, Howe said he used the weapon only “a few times” because he feared for his life. He denied repeatedly striking Rasul with it and said: “I might have headbutted him over and over again, I did not axe him over and over again.”
The court heard that after Rasul was left dazed, Howe climbed out of a window, leaving a shoe stuck on the ledge. Neighbours then saw him stumbling around the cul-de-sac covered in blood and asking for help before calling the emergency services.
Police and paramedics described Howe as aggressive and intoxicated when they arrived. Officers later found Rasul inside the flat.
When first interviewed by police, Howe gave no comment answers. A prepared statement later submitted through his solicitor said he accepted responsibility for Rasul’s injuries and death but maintained that he had acted in self-defence.
Pathologist Dr Louise Mulchay told the jury Rasul had suffered at least 12 significant impacts to the head and face, including 10 from a heavy instrument with a sharp cutting edge such as an axe.
She said he had multiple facial fractures, including injuries to his eye socket and jaw, and that several teeth had been knocked out. She said the combination of injuries likely compromised his airway and impaired his breathing.
Forensic scientist Laura Lewis said DNA evidence suggested the two men may have struggled with one another in the bedroom while both were injured and bleeding. She also said blood distribution indicated Rasul had not remained upright for long while bleeding and was on his back when the facial injuries were inflicted.
Following the verdict, Detective Superintendent Chris Motson of Cleveland Police said Rasul’s family and loved ones had endured unimaginable pain and loss.