Man appears in court charged with murdering mother as she pushed pram

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A man has appeared in court charged with the murder of a mother who was stabbed to death as she pushed her baby in a pram in a city centre.

Habibur Masum, 25, is charged with murdering Kulsuma Akter, 27, who was attacked in Bradford on Saturday.

Masum, of Leamington Avenue, Burnley, is also charged with possession of a bladed article.

He appeared at Bradford Magistrates’ Court on Thursday where he was remanded in custody following a six-minute long hearing.

Masum stood in the glass-fronted dock as he was addressed by District Judge Alex Boyd.

Clean-shaven, dressed in a grey sweatshirt and flanked by three security guards, he spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and address.

Mr Boyd told him: “You are charged with the offence of murder, which can only be deal with at the Crown court and that offence is sent to Bradford Crown Court for your first hearing which will take place tomorrow.

“Between now and that date you are remanded in custody.”

Masum was arrested in the early hours of Tuesday in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire – 170 miles away from where Ms Akter was stabbed.

He had been the subject of police appeals and a four-day manhunt.

A 23-year-old man arrested in the Cheshire area on Monday on suspicion of assisting an offender has been released on bail, West Yorkshire Police said.

Four other men were arrested in Aylesbury on suspicion of assisting an offender and drug offences.

The men aged 23, 26, 28 and 29, from the West Midlands area, are currently in custody, the force added.

Ms Akter was taken to hospital after being stabbed several times in Westgate at the junction with Drewton Road at 3.20pm on Saturday.

She later died from her injuries.

The baby is safe and was not harmed in the incident, police said.