A KEEN sportswoman suffered a painful leg injury when a man suddenly reversed his Range Rover during an argument on a hotel car park, Bradford Crown Court heard.

Khurram Shehzad, 37, of Halifax Road, Brighouse, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm shortly before midnight on September 11 last year.

Prosecutor Paul Canfield said today that the incident took place outside the George Hotel in Low Moor, Bradford, when Shehzad was in his vehicle and he and the woman were arguing. His girlfriend was in the hotel and he wanted the victim to fetch her, the court was told.

Mr Canfield said Shehzad then reversed while the woman was alongside the Range Rover. She fell in the road and was dragged a short distance suffering cuts, bruising and swelling to her right knee.

She said in her victim personal statement that she was a fit sportswoman until that day. Shehzad was a friend and she trusted him when she talked to him through the car window.

When he reversed she shouted for him to stop as she fell and was dragged along the ground. She was dazed and in pain waiting for the ambulance to come.

Richard Wright KC said in mitigation that there was ‘a heated argument at the roadside’ and Shehzad set off to leave when it wasn’t safe and recklessly caused the injuries.

He did not intend to have the altercation and he did not deliberately use the vehicle as a weapon. It was not a deliberate decision to injure the woman.

Shehzad had been subject to very stringent bail conditions for more than a year that had never been breached. He was a man of previous good character.

He was married with two children and he ran his own business.

Mr Wright said there was no need to send Shehzad to prison. Civil proceedings were ongoing in relation to the matter.

Judge Ahmed Nadim said Shehzad attended at the public house where his then girl-friend was. The victim came out to speak with him and while they were having a conversation he set off in an unsafe manner. She fell and was dragged a number of yards.

She lost consciousness and the emergency services were called. She was treated in hospital for bruising and cuts to her right leg and her knee was swollen and painful.

Judge Nadim said that before this she was able-bodied and enthusiastically engaged in sport.

But the offence was out of character and Shehzad had no previous convictions.

He was sentenced to 30 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, with 250 hours of unpaid work and ten days of rehabilitation activity.

He was ordered to pay the £1,500 costs of the proceedings.