Victim in ongoing Wakefield vendetta says enemy 'won't stop until he's dead'
Thug targeted man on country lane just hours after prison release
A thug and his accomplice chased down a man in a car before cornering him and slashing the tyres on his van.
Babar Mukhtiar was in a BMW that pulled alongside the van and got out to confront the van driver. A second man wearing a mask and holding a machete also approached the van.
Leeds Crown Court heard that Mukhtiar had been involved in a long-running dispute with the victim.
The judge described the incident as a “planned revenge attack”, but opted to give the 36-year-old a suspended sentence.
Prosecutor Nathan Davis said the victim had only been released from prison and had been driving along Intake Road near Hall Green, Wakefield, at around 9.30am on October 10 last year.
He then felt a vehicle smash into the back of van, then the BMW pull up alongside.
Two men got out, including Mukhtiar. The other male had the machete and was wearing a balaclava.
After the tyres were slashed, the defendant then tried to get into the van.
As members of the public stopped, Mukhtiar drove off. Photographs were taken of the car by witnesses and he was later arrested.
Mukhtiar told officers during his interview that he was the one targeted and rammed by the victim, then gave no-comment answers.
In a victim impact statement, read to the court by Mr Davis, the man said: “I believe he is trying to kill me. He will not stop until he gets me.
“I was only out of prison for a day and he managed to find me.”
The court heard that Mukhtiar, of Castle Meadows, Hall Green, has 14 previous convictions for 20 offences, including possessing weapons.
He admitted affray and criminal damage.
Mitigating, Paul Walker said Mukhtiar had been held on remand since his arrest and knew how serious it was.
A probation report suggested Mukhtiar was sorry for his actions.
Judge Christopher Batty said: “We can’t have people roaming the streets with machetes just taking each other out when they fancy, and anyone who does will go to prison.
“He has had machetes in the past, and has been away [jailed] for affray in the past.”
Addressing Mukhtiar he said: “I’m disgusted by what you did. What it tells me about you is that you’re happy to do whatever you want to anyone who gets in your way, whether you in public or not.”
He gave him a 21-month sentence, suspended for 24 months.
He was also ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and 15 rehabilitation days, was put on a GPS tracker for six months and a five-year restraining order to keep away from the victim.