Lister Park Mugging victim ordeal 'not a true reflection' of city says Cllr

The victim had only been living in Bradford for a couple of days when he was set upon by a trio of thugs in the Manningham park while out on a jog, being punched and kicked and robbed of his phone.

Traumatised by the ordeal, the man, aged 31, left the city not long after in 2019.

Last Friday, 20-year-old Danish Fiaz was spared jailed after admitting his role in the mugging, copping a two year suspended sentence for his disgusting behaviour.

In his victim personal statement, read out in court, the man said he had moved to Bradford two days earlier and quickly moved out after he was mugged.

Councillor Sarfraz Nazir (Labour, Manningham) said while he condemned the crime, the incident was not a true reflection of Lister Park and Bradford.

The historic park, which contains Cartwright Hall, sits in Cllr Nazir's ward.

He said: “Something like that is sad, especially having only arrived a few days before and that is his experience.

“My sympathy goes to the victim who underwent this ordeal, and I condemn what happened, that sort of crime should not happen.

“But it’s not a true reflection of what actually goes on at Lister Park; it is well-used by people from across the district and it’s a safe place for families to visit with their children. It is busy all day every day.

“While this is an unfortunate incident, and it’s good the police caught one of the attackers, it’s not a true reflection of the park.”

Cllr Nazir said more lighting and patrols in the park after dark could reduce the risk of similar incidents occurring in the future.

“We can work with colleagues in the police and Council wardens to look at better lighting and ask for more regular patrols within the park, but we are working with limited resources.

“Better lighting and more cameras in less-used areas of the park would give better visibility and make it feel safer. Many parts of the park are already well-lit after dark.”