TWO men burst into a busy Bradford barber shop and attacked a man because he had warned a motorist about driving dangerously.

Hussain Khan, 26, and Omair Sajid, 28, threatened their victim with a hammer and punched him in full view of other customers causing injuries to his nose, his jaw, and an eye that left scars on his face.

Both men were sentenced at Bradford Crown Court for what was described as “a disgraceful incident” on September 11 last year.

Prosecutor Lydia Carroll said the victim had taken his young son for a haircut at a salon on Great Horton Road when he saw a car being driven at speed. He later saw the driver and told him his driving had been dangerous.

He later returned to the salon to get his own hair cut. As he was sat in a barber’s chair Sajid entered the shop, followed by three other men including Khan, and said: “Who’s been getting funny with my cousin?”

Sajid shouted to Khan to get a hammer from the car and began talking aggressively to the victim as the other men gathered around him.

Footage from the salon’s CCTV showed Sajid punching the victim in the face and Khan delivering a number of blows before being pulled away by others in the shop, and then returning to assault him again.

Staff in the salon also intervened by removing the hammer from Khan.

The victim was left with a burst nose, a black eye and scars to his face that he said were a constant reminder of the assault that had also left him with high levels of anxiety. He had also been diagnosed with PTSD following the attack.

Mitigating for Khan, James Holding said he was currently serving a prison sentence but that he tried to play an active role in the life of his young son when not in custody. He had expressed remorse for his actions.

Mitigating for Sajid, Khadim al-Hassan said he threw one punch and after doing that tried to pull others away. He said his behaviour on the day was out of character.

The court heard that Khan, of Great Horton Road, Bradford, had previously pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm plus possession of an offensive weapon, and Sajid, of Beaumont Road, Bradford, had pleaded guilty to actual bodily harm.

Addressing both men, Mr Recorder Paul Reid said he considered the incident to be a joint attack with equal culpability that stemmed from the victim deciding to castigate someone for perceived dangerous driving.

He added: “As a result of that you two, and two others, go to this barber’s shop. It’s quite extraordinary that you should do this.

“This is a very unpleasant assault by the pair of you.”

He sentenced Sajid to six months imprisonment, suspended for two years, plus 40 rehabilitation activity requirement days, and handed Khan two nine-month terms to be served concurrently with his existing prison sentence. 

Sajid was also ordered to pay compensation to the victim of £100.