Two men involved in road rage in middle of Fagley Road

Speaking at Bradford Crown Court today, Her Honour Judge Sophie McKone said Azam Mumtaz and Isa Khan were “as bad as each other” when a near collision between them escalated into a punch-up.

Footage from CCTV played to the court by prosecutor Oliver Norman showed Mumtaz making a turn in his car and almost hitting Khan as he rode his motorcycle on Fagley Road on October 7, 2022.

The two stopped and exchanged words before Khan broke a wing mirror on Mumtaz’s car and used his crash helmet to smash the windscreen.

Looking up Fagley Road, from Killinghall Road, in Bradford (Image: Google Street View)

Mumtaz responded by driving into Khan and knocking him off his motorcycle and then reversing towards him as he lay on the ground, before getting out of his car and punching him.

Then, two unidentified men jumped from a passing van and began kicking and punching Mumtaz as he lay on the ground.

The scene was witnessed by passers-by, including a child.

Police arrived and in interviews both men accepted their part in the altercation, but Mumtaz said he had not intended to knock Khan off his motorcycle.

Mumtaz, 34, of Bishop Street, Bradford, later pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and affray.

Khan, 22, of Foston Lane, Bradford, later pleaded guilty to affray and criminal damage.

Mitigating for Khan, Samuel Ponniah said Mumtaz started the fight and Khan ended it.

He said Khan had “no connection” to the other men who joined in the fight and did not know “what compelled them to act in such a way”.

Mitigating for Mumtaz, Imran Khan said his client stopped and apologised for the near miss but was met with verbal abuse and the damage to his wing mirror, which caused him to move “and connect with” the motorcycle.

He added: “Thereafter the damage was being caused to his windscreen.

"He got out of his vehicle and what he did was certainly out of character.”

Judge McKone said: “You were both involved in what is colloquially known as a ‘road rage’ incident.

“If it hadn’t have been so violent it would have been rightfully described as pathetic, because that is how you both behaved.

“You both totally overreacted to the driving of the other.

“There was then a fight between you, and then two people for reasons that are inexplicable [but] presumably because they liked the look of violence and wanted to join in, began to kick Mr Mumtaz in the head.

“In your different ways you both behaved the same. You were both violent, you overreacted, and were both in your own different ways as bad as each other.”

As both men were of previous good character, she handed them equal nine-month jail sentences, suspended for 18 months, with Mumtaz disqualified from driving for 18 months.

Both men were also ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work community work, and to undertake 20 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement (RAR) days.