A disgraced pharmacist is accused of murdering his brother following a drunken row in the family fish and chip shop in Bishop Auckland.

Inderjit Klare picked up knife and stabbed his brother Jasreet several times while they brawled inside the shop in October last year, a jury heard.

Teesside Crown Court heard how two men, who were with the brothers, were forced to kick out a window of the shop before fleeing the scene on Tenters Street in the early hours of the morning.

Jamie Hill KC, prosecuting, said the 43-year-old waited almost 90 minutes before calling the emergency services after severing an artery in his brother’s arm.

Read more: Man accused of murdering Maurice Bennett refused to appear in court

When paramedics finally arrived at the scene the 40-year-old had ‘unnecessarily’ bled to death, he told jurors.

The Northern Echo: Jasreet KlareJasreet Klare (Image: The Northern Echo)

Jasreet suffered several stab wounds during the fight, significantly one to his right forearm which went right through and severed an artery.

Mr Hill said the injury didn't need to be fatal and Jasreet could have been saved with medical intervention.

Tests showed that the brothers had taken cocaine at some point during the night as well consuming alcohol.

Mr Hill said the defendant is an 'intelligent' man who qualified as a pharmacist but his life began to unravel after he was jailed.

He said: "Sadly, his life began to unravel about five years ago when he was found to have stolen and then sold prescription drugs from the pharmacy where he was working.

"He was taken to court and was sent to prison for that."

Jurors heard how minutes before the fatal brawl, the brothers and two other men were captured on CCTV walking towards the chip shop on Tenters Street.

The Northern Echo: Police at the scene of the alleged murder on Tenters Street in Bishop Auckland last October.Police at the scene of the alleged murder on Tenters Street in Bishop Auckland last October. (Image: Newsquest)

The barrister said the brothers started arguing but the two other men were unable to follow the disagreement as they rowed in Punjabi.

He said: "The brothers began struggling with each other and the two other men tried to get them apart but quickly became frightened for their own safety as Inderjit had a knife.

"The two other people were caught on CCTV kicking a window out in the chip shop to get away from the scene."

During police interview the defendant provided a number of short, prepared statements blaming his brother for starting the fight and had to choke him at one point.

Mr Hill said the accused admitted cleaning up the site but maintained that his brother was still alive when he called for help.

"He appears to suggest that he tried to defend himself without admitting doing so with a knife,” he said.

The barrister told jurors that Inderjit had been charged with murder after ‘he left his brother to bleed to death’ in the early hours of October 9 last year.

Mr Klare’s partner, Emma Hallas, said Jasreet and Inderjit would regularly fight and argue but she had never witnessed any physical violence between them.

Keith Skipp, a life-long friend of Jasreet, said they would meet up once a month to go out for a drink.

He said he met up with Jas, as his friends called, in the Wild Boar in Houghton-le-Spring and was surprised when Inderjit joined them.

Read next:

​​For more quality journalism, subscribe to The Northern Echo here.

He said the defendant was acting a 'little bit odd' in the pub when he was staring into space and fidgeting.

The court heard how they all left the pub and headed to the White Lion to continue drinking.

Mr Skipp said they left the pub at around 10pm and there had been no trouble between the brothers.

Inderjit denies murdering his brother and the trial continues.