Teenagers chased & assaulted 17-year-old in Revenge Attack

Three teenagers have been jailed after they chased and attacked a 17-year-old youth in a Bradford alleyway in an act of revenge.

Bradford Crown Court heard that the reason for the attack was a previous incident when one of the defendants had been a victim and it was believed that the youth they targeted had been involved.

Prosecutor Jonathan Sharp said the victim had been walking along Toller Lane in April 2021 when a car drove by with four males inside.

Three teenagers jumped out of the car and chased after the victim.

Rohaib Arshad, aged 17, led the way armed with what was believed to be a hammer.

Ehsan Hussain, then aged 16, and Zain Jamshed, then aged 17, also joined in the pursuit.

When they cornered the victim, Arshad struck him in the head with the hammer.

Mr Sharp said the others kicked and stamped on the victim while Jamshed filmed the broad daylight attack.

The attackers later fled and the victim was helped by locals and taken to hospital.

The victim suffered a fracture to his right upper leg, a dislocated right knee and a fractured bone in his right foot.

In a victim impact statement, the victim said he suffered nightmares after the attack.

All three teenagers pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

Jamshed and Hussain had no previous convictions while Arshad had previous convictions for house burglary.

Hussain’s barrister Nick Worsley said he had behaved completely out of character and he was someone who was assessed as being “abnormally compliant” and inclined to go along with the actions of others.

Elyas Patel, for Jamshed, admitted that there could never be any justification for such “group thuggery” on the streets, but he said the previous incident may help to explain why an otherwise decent 17-year-old with no convictions became embroiled in an offence as serious as this.

Mr Patel said: “The true Zain Jamshed is in my submission very far from a violent street thug.

“He’s penned a sincere letter himself expressing his heartfelt and genuine remorse.”

Balbir Singh, for Arshad, said something was said in the car and a chase developed and as often happens when people are together they end up “egging each other on”.

He said Arshad’s time in custody on remand had a profound impact on him and with the right help, he could rebuild his life.

The Recorder of Bradford Judge Richard Mansell QC said:

“It was a revenge attack.

“It was sustained and persistent and it did involve the use of a very dangerous weapon in the form of a hammer.”

He went on to say that the group had chased their victim like “a pack of animals” and when he was cornered, they subjected him to a savage beating.

The three teenagers were each sentenced to 30 months detention in a young offenders institution.