Leeds road rage attack thug left victim blind in one eye

A THUG who left a man blind in one eye in a road rage attack in Leeds has been jailed for nine-and-a-half-years.
Shamas AliShamas Ali
Shamas Ali

Shamas Ali struck his victim with a baseball bat or metal bar - causing multiple fractures to his left eyesocket and permanent loss of sight in the eye, Leeds Crown Court heard.

Ali's father Liaqat Ali later tried to bribe the attack victim in a bid to get him to drop the charges and when that he failed he made threats, telling the victim he might lose the sight in the other eye.

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The court heard violence flared on May 9 following an incident on Shepherds Lane in Chapeltown .

Shepherds Lane was being blocked by two vehicles and the attack victim had asked for them to be moved.

The court heard Shamas Ali was 'summoned' to the scene and used a baseball bat or metal bar to strike his victim in the head.

Shamas Ali, aged 22, of Spencer Place, Chapeltown, admitted a section 18 assault, driving while disqualified and breaching a suspended sentence order imposed at Leeds Crown Court i October 2016 for dangerous driving.

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Liaqat Ali, aged 44, also of Spencer Place, Chapeltown, admitted intimidating a witness.

Imran Khan, mitigating for for Shamas Ali, said: "He has shown remorse for what has happened. He is very sorry for his actions.

Stephen Wood, mitigating for Liaqat Ali, said: "The defendant is sorry for the physical and pyschological injuries suffered by the victim in this case."

Jailing Shamas Ali for nine-and-a-half-years, Judge Mushtaq Khokar told him: "You were summoned to the scene and you came there equipped with a metal bar or baseball bat, certainly a weapon which was used without any hesitation or thought on your part.

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"You struck the complainant on the left eyesocket, resulting in multiple fractures of it.

"Worst of all he lost his sight in that particular eye. He will never recover that. It has changed his life. He cannot pursue the former employment of being a chef as their is a risk of him cutting himself.

"He cannot be a taxi driver, which he wanted to do. He is depressed, he continues to have problems because of the loss of sight in one eye."

Judge Khokar banned Shamas Ali from driving for six-years-and-nine-months.

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Liaqat Ali was handed a six month jail sentence suspended for 18 months and ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work.

Judge Khokar told Liaqat Ali: "You tried to persuade the complainant to drop these charges on the basis that your son was sorry about what he had done.

"When the complainant would not have it you tried to bribe him with money.

"When he wouldn't have that either, you resorted to making threats and reminded him he had lost sight in one eye and that he might lose the sight in the other."