Bottle attack thugs leave victim ‘fearing for life’
MEN JAILED AFTER HORROR IN QUIET DERBY STREET
A PAIR of thugs left a man fearing for his life during a seemingly motiveless attack in the middle of the day in a quiet street in Derby.
Derby Crown Court heard how Jassi Bassi and Pirisad Hashmi pulled alongside a parked car containing the victim, got out and demanded he left the vehicle.
After he refused, Bassi then threw a bottle at the passenger side window which smashed the glass and then hit the man to the face.
CCTV played to the court then showed the pair driving off.
Handing both men prison sentences, Judge Jonathan Bennett said: “The incident was unpleasant and quite frightening, taking place on a Sunday afternoon in a residential street.
“The victim was with a friend and was about to get out of the car when the two of you came along. You were armed with a bottle which you threw and which smashed through the window and hit the complainant.
“I have seen photographs of the injuries and they are pretty horrific.”
Sarah Allen, prosecuting, played footage of the short incident to the court.
She said it happened at around 3pm on Sunday, June 16, 2019, in Fairfax Road, Normanton.
The clip showed a car containing the victim pull over and park next to the pavement.
Moments later, a car containing the two defendants is seen to arrive in the street, park next to the other car and they get out.
During the melee they try to open the door and then Bassi is seen throwing the bottle at the car window which smashes.
Miss Allen said: “The bottle hit him (the victim) in the face while the two defendants are heard shouting ‘get out, get out.’
“They then got back in the car and drove off. The victim suffered a 2.5cm laceration to the face and two smaller lacerations.”
In an impact statement, read to the court by Miss Allen, the victim said: “I feared for my life, if they had managed to get me out of the car I honestly thought they would have hurt me.
“I have never met them, I have no idea why they would attack me and I am scared of any repercussions.
“I had done nothing wrong, I keep reliving the incident in my head, I have stopped going to the gym as a result of this.”
Bassi, 27, of Stenson Road, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and was jailed for 23 months.
Dale Harris, mitigating, said: “There was no significant degree of premeditation, this was an act of stupidity.”
Hashmi, also 27, of Burnage Place, Alvaston, pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of using threatening, abusive, or insulting words or behaviour.
He was jailed for 22 weeks.
Gregor Purcell, his barrister, said: “The offence is some two-anda-half years old and he is someone who has not been in trouble for five years with the exception of this.” As his sentence was less than 12 months, Derbyshire Police would not provide his custody photograph.
Both men were also handed three-year restraining orders not to go on to Fairfax Road.
I have seen photographs of the injuries and they are pretty horrific.
Judge Jonathan Bennett