Child sex gang leader attacked fellow inmate
THE jailed predator who led the Rochdale child sex grooming gang has been found guilty of repeatedly stamping on an elderly fellow inmate’s face and head following a row about the Brussels terror attacks.
Evil Shabir Ahmed, 64, from Oldham, flew into a rage when he heard another prisoner say the bombers should be ‘eradicated’ on the morning of the suicide bombings in Belgium which left 32 victims dead and 340 injured.
He denied assault but a jury found him guilty after just 24 minutes of deliberations. The jurors were not told – and the M.E.N. could not report – the reason he was in Wakefield prison as his trial started.
He is serving a 22-year jail term for leading the sex grooming gang.
Ahmed, a former taxi driver known by his victims as ‘daddy,’ was the ringleader of a nine-strong group found guilty of exploiting girls as young as 13 at Tasty Bites and another takeaway in Heywood from 2007.
Vile Ahmed launched an attack on fellow prisoner, James ‘Jimmy’ Palmer on March 22 last year.
As inmates were filing through the prison to work, Ahmed overheard Palmer, who was discussing that morning’s atrocity, say ‘the bombers should be eradicated.’
Ahmed threatened to kill Palmer ‘if you slag off Muslims again.’
As Palmer was returning to his cell three hours later, Ahmed attacked the 71-year-old, an ailing 15-stone diabetic who was recovering from food poisoning and a chest infection at the time. Ahmed punched Palmer to the ground and then stamped repeatedly on his face and head before other prisoners pulled him away.
Palmer spent several days in the prison’s medical unit being treated for a ‘bust nose,’ a cut lip and other injuries.
Ahmed was originally charged with attempted GBH with intent although the prosecution dropped this on the eve of the trial.
He had denied the alternative charge of assault causing actual bodily harm, despite two eye-witnesses and his victim’s blood being found in one of his trainers.
Giving evidence via videolink, Palmer said he blocked one blow but was hit in the head by another, sending him to the ground where he hit his head ‘very hard.’
Judge Kearle QC sentenced Ahmed to a further 12 months on top of the current sentence.