9:12 am, January 11, 2021
A car salesman who joined in on an unprovoked homophobic attack on a man in Bradford that left the victim unconscious has been jailed for nine months.
Saqib Rehman, of Fairbank Road, Girlington, was among three men including his brother Wasiq who assaulted the man while he and his partner were waiting for a taxi in Morley Street, pictured, Bradford Crown Court was told.
Wasiq Rehman started the attack and the third man, who hasn’t been identified, stamped on the victim’s head, according to the Bradford Telegraph and Argus, which added that one of the trio was also heard to shout ‘gay bas****s.’
The attack happened early on September 17, 2017 but sentencing was only carried out on Friday (Jan 8) because the brothers had initially denied the offence.
Saqib, who punched the defenceless man in the face while he was dazed and on the ground, was originally accused of causing grievous bodily harm but admitted a lesser charge of assault causing actual bodily harm.
Wasiq Rehman, who began and ended the attack, will be sentenced on February 26, and Judge Richard Mansell QC, the Recorder of Bradford, said he would be given a longer jail sentence.
According to the Telegraph and Argus, the victim and his partner had been waiting for a cab after a night out. The partner had been singing Disney songs, which prosecutor John Batchelor said had caused ‘umbrage and upset’.
The brothers were in a Mercedes and pulled up while the couple were waiting for their cab.
Wasiq Rehman hit the man and Saqib joined in as he lay on the ground, and Wasiq knocked him out with a final punch.
The attack left the victim with a broken nose and eye socket.
His eyesight was so badly damaged that he has to wear glasses, and in his victim personal statement he said he rarely went out now and was very worried about people being around him.
Mr Batchelor called it ‘an unprovoked, aggressive and sustained attack’, with the couple also threatened about going to the police.
In mitigation, Giles Bridge said the recently married Saqib Rehman was remorseful and apologetic, adding that the attack had been completely out of character and Rehman hadn’t been in trouble since.
He said the unnamed car sales business would suffer if Rehman wasn’t around but the judge said Rehman had to be jailed for such an unprovoked attack.
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