Not guilty! Former Dudley councillor Shaz Saleem cleared of sending threatening and offensive messages

Saleem, aged 39, of Ploverdale Crescent, Kingswinford,  stood trial at Walsall Magistrates Court today after denying sending two voicemails to a woman in June 2023.

The court was played two voicemails, the first left on June 26, 2023, said: "Tik Tok bitch, the time is coming" and two days later: "seven days and their coming for you."

However, District Judge Michael Wheeler complained the quality of the recordings "was appalling and the worst I have ever heard in a case such as this."  

The woman who received the messages and reported Saleem to the police was the same constituent who accused him of sexual assault, an allegation which led to the suspension from the Conservative Party and loss of his council seat.

The pair met in December 2022 when the woman enlisted the help of the then Kingswinford and Wall Heath councillor to help her with a neighbourly dispute. She gave evidence behind a screen during the two hour trial.

The sexual assault complaint was not pursued by West Midlands Police and then after receiving the two voicemail messages she reported the matter to the police in June 2023.

She told the court: "I know it was Shaz Saleem's voice on those messages. I just know."

However, she conceded she had only met Saleem three times in person, and there was a six month gap between meeting him and the voicemail messages.

Saleem was not interviewed or informed about the investigation until January 2024. He gave a prepared statement to detectives and them, under advice, gave no comment throughout the interview.

The phone number which left the messages was registered to 'Saleem Shazada' at the married father's business address in Halesowen. However, it was a pay as you go sim card and no evidence Saleem had actually registered it was produced.

Giving evidence from the witness stand, Saleem told the court: "That is not my voice on the messages. This 

District Judge Michael Wheeler presided over the trial, which did not have a jury, and ruled Saleem not guilty of both charges.

He said: "The prosecution has come nowhere near proving your guilt. I am sure the witness believes it was your voice on the recording. But she had only met you a couple times quite a while before.

"And she is not a professional when it comes to identifying voices."

He added: "This is a case about identification, most are visual, but this is by voice and identification by voice is difficult. The case is not helped by shockingly appalling quality of the recordings. One of the worst I have heard before the court."

Judge Wheeler criticised West Midlands Police for not enlisting specialist help concerning the identification of the voice heard in the recordings.

He said: "The police had these voicemails for a long time now. They could have got expert witness, and using your own voice could have done a voice comparison. But, they choose not to.

"You are 39-years-old and are of good character, you have no previous convictions or cautions, and I have to take that into account."

He added: "In the light of that background, and that the phone was registered to an address where there are several business, I have to find you not guilty."

Saleem was awarded a legal costs order.

He told the Express & Star: "I am delighted this is finally over. I am pleased the judge cleared me. This whole debacle was an extension of the completely false allegations targeted towards me in 2023."