Convicted Leeds child-sex offender drove car at brother in 'bad-blood' spat over court 'lies'

Sirfraz Ahmed and his sibling had been at loggerheads after it was alleged Ahmed had tried to previously persuade his brother to lie for him in court but which he refused to do, Leeds Crown Court heard.

Ahmed admitted a charge of affray and dangerous driving as the spat boiled over in October last year.

The 35-year-old appeared in court via video link from HMP Leeds.

On October 23 last year, Ahmed’s brother had come to the family home on Cardigan Road in Leeds to pick up a parcel that had been delivered there.

He was confronted by Ahmed who became aggressive and asking him why he was there.

Prosecutor Louise Pryke said there was “bad blood” between the two after Ahmed’s brother refused to lie for him in court.

The man got his parcel and left, but was pursued by Ahmed who told him he was “going to smash his car in” and told him “you are dead”, before leaving the scene.

The brother returned to the family home later on that day to speak with another brother about Ahmed’s behaviour, but Ahmed arrived in his car.

He threw a metal water bottle at his brother’s car and was shouting more abuse and making threats to run him over and kill him.

Ahmed got back in his car and accelerated at high speed at his brother, braking and stopping at the last moment.

Luckily, the bumper only softly came into contact with the man’s leg.

The court heard that Ahmed had previous convictions for theft, burglary and robbery for which he received a 78-month jail sentence in 2015.

In 2022 he was jailed again for abusing three young girls. The victims were aged between three and seven when the abuse took place in the early 2000s when he himself was a young teenage child.

Mitigating, Michael Collins said that Ahmed has major mental-health problems and was now medicated.

He said: “It’s clear that the defendant has been suffering from mental health issues from about the age of 15, that’s when the first report was made to psychiatric services.

“Sadly, it would appear 20 years on he is in desperate need of assistance.”

He said Ahmed was suffering a “psychotic episode” during the time of his latest offending which reduced his culpability.

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He said that Ahmed, of Richmond Road, Headingley, was also concerned that should he be released immediately, he would not receive the help he needed.

The judge, Recorder Aisha Wadoodi said that while mental-health issues are often used as mitigation for defendants, she could “make a definitive link” between Ahmed’s issues and his offending.

She gave him an 18-month jail sentence, suspended for two years. She also gave him 24 months’ supervision and 30 rehabilitation days to complete with probation.