Victim Mohammed Shaan Ali Rasul was struck in the face at least 10 times with an axe or hatchet [Cleveland Police] A man who repeatedly hit his friend in the face with an axe in what he claimed was self-defence has been found guilty of manslaughter. Prosecutors had alleged Callum Howe, 23, murdered Mohammed Shaan Ali Rasul, 23, by striking him at least 10 times in the face with an axe or hatchet in the bedroom of his Hartlepool flat on 23 November 2025.