Sheffield man jailed for 'taking law into his own hands' and attacking man with bottle over car sale dispute

Bilal Ali, 26, had known the victim for around 10 years when the attack took place on December 17 last year.

Prosecutor Neil Coxon told Sheffield Crown Court that there had recently been ‘issues’ between the pair, arising from a dispute over the ‘sale of a car’.

Prior to the assault taking place, the victim was having his hair cut at a barber’s shop located in St Lawrence Road, Tinsley, when he noticed Ali congregating outside with two other males.

Mr Coxon said: “The complainant left the shop...and outside the shop he was attacked by this defendant, who threw the first punch. He punched towards the complainant’s face.

“It was after the first blow that he noticed that the defendant had a bottle. The other two males became involved...he went to ground, and the assault continued, involving an assault with a bottle.”

A witness to the assault described seeing the victim being struck with the bottle ‘on a number of occasions’ and said he was ‘cowering,’ with ‘his hands above his head, effectively trying to prevent further blows,’ Mr Coxon said.

The witness attempted to intervene and was told it was ‘nothing to do with him’.

The victim was left with cuts to his face, neck and chest.

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Ali, of Norborough Road, Tinsley was subsequently arrested and interviewed, during which he made no comment to all questions.

He was brought before Sheffield Magistrates’ Court charged in connection with the offence on January 11, and was released on bail with the condition that he must not contact his victim or go to his address.

Ali breached that condition just 10 days later when he went to his victim’s home at around 9.30pm on January 21.

“He got out of his car, and appeared to have a two-foot wooden stick and was shouting: ‘Come here’. The complainant was scared...and ultimately contacted the police,” Mr Coxon said.

Ali left the scene, only to return around half an hour later, when he exited the car holding what the victim described as an ‘axe’.

He went towards the victim’s property, and encountered one of his friends instead, who was outside.

“The defendant shouted: ‘Do you want it?’ holding an axe, and hit him with it. It caused reddening to his back. After he was struck, he hit the defendant in self defence twice, which caused him to leave,” Mr Coxon said.

Ali pleaded guilty to charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and affray at an earlier hearing.

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Mr Coxon said Ali denied using an axe during the second assault, but had acknowledged using a hammer, which was accepted by the prosecution.

Errol Ballentyne, defending, said: “He has been a stupid individual, who has caused himself, his family and others pain and suffering – which he readily acknowledges.”

Mr Ballentyne said Ali had served the equivalent of a 20-month sentence after being remanded into custody in January, following his second arrest.

He referred Judge Peter Kelson QC to the various references submitted to the court on Ali’s behalf, including one from his mother.

Judge Kelson jailed Ali for two years, and told him: “You have involved yourself in serious crime, and it is shocking that you have done so in light of what I’ve seen from the references is your very stable family life under the guidance of your clearly extremely loving mother.”

He added: “You decided to take the law into your own hands, and had insufficient respect for the law.”

Judge Kelson also granted a restraining order which prohibits Ali from contacting his two victims for the next 10 years.

- South Yorkshire Police has been asked to provide a custody image of Ali

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