"One of them punched with such force"
Two men were jailed for 20 months each for a violent attack on a father-of-three after he tried to hug one of them earlier in the night.
Birmingham Crown Court heard that Mohammed Rahim and Nazrul Miah kicked and punched the victim in the head outside the Dead Wax pub in Digbeth on January 11, 2020.
Sally Cairns, prosecuting, said: “The defendants arrived about midnight and had been drinking previously in another pub.
“They and the victim were not known to each other before that evening.
“The victim remembers very little about what happened. CCTV footage shows he appears drunk and is dancing and hugging people.
“At one point he approached the two defendants, who were sitting at a table, and tried to put his arms around one of them.
“He was shoved away and a member of security had to intervene to calm the situation down.
“All three shook hands.”
The man left the pub at around 3 am and was talking to a taxi driver when the defendants re-emerged.
Ms Cairns said: “They approached him. One of them punched with such force that he falls straight backwards onto the road.
“Both defendants stand on either side of the victim as he is lying on the floor and punch and kick him to the head.”
Both men walked away leaving the man unconscious. A security guard and passerby came to the victim’s aid but he only came around when paramedics arrived.
The attack left the man with a broken nose, broken teeth as well as cuts to his eye and head.
Ms Cairns added: “He said the incident had left him scared to go out drinking. He never wants to go the Dead Wax again.
“He is normally a very confident person but this has left him feeling unnerved.
“He has no idea why he was attacked or why anyone would do anything to him. Looking back he is scared he could have died for no reason.”
The two attackers were arrested after they returned to the Dead Wax two weeks later and were recognised.
Ms Cairns said: “Both said they had gone outside and there were five or six people shouting ‘Oi P***’. They didn’t know who said that.
“They said the victim approached them. They admitted punching and kicking him to the floor.
“When told about his injuries Mr Miah said they probably went over the top. Mr Rahim said he was sorry but the victim deserved it.”
Both men pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm.
Seamran Sidhu, for Rahim, said he had dedicated himself to charity work, helping to raise £10,000 for the NHS and delivering food parcels during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ms Sidhu added: “Derogatory and racist language was used against him and the co-defendant but what happens thereafter is inexcusable.”
Preet-Paul Tutt, for Miah, said: “What happened on that night was not a true reflection of this young man. It was an isolated incident, a moment of madness for which he is genuinely remorseful.”
Judge Peter Carr said: “I have no doubt the victim was under the influence of alcohol and possibly making a nuisance of himself, possibly including verbal provocation, but even if that were true there is no justification for what you did to him.
“He certainly didn’t deserve what happened to him.”
Mohammed Rahim, aged 25, and Nazrul Miah, aged 27, both of Small Heath, Birmingham, were each jailed for 20 months.
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