Five Smethwick brothers jailed after family row turned violent
Five brothers have been jailed after a family row in Smethwick in which a man was hit by a car and two others were smashed in the head with wooden planks.
Saghir Ahmed, Mohammed Azam, Imran Khan, Ayaz Mahmood and Yaqoob Raza were all jailed for their part in the violence, which kicked off over animosity with extended family and neighbours in Cheshire Road, on April 12 last year.
Iftikar Ahmed, another brother, and Raza Ali, father of the six, were given suspended jail terms for their roles. All seven men live in Cheshire Road. A police helicopter was called to help bring an end to the fracas.
Wolverhampton Crown Court heard how Kasam Mohammed, son of Abdul Aziz, had just returned to Cheshire Road after celebrating his marriage driving with three family members inside including his father and brother Asif Aziz.
Prosecutor Delroy Henry told the court: "The seven members of the other family approached the car and followed it out of the driveway.
"Saghir Ahmed punched the car and kicked it. The car then reversed and struck Wakar Ahmed. He sustained serious injuries and broke a number of ribs, but no charges have been brought relating to that."
He then told the court how the violence took a more serious turn. He said the group armed themselves with lengths of wood and started striking the vehicle, threatening the people inside. Abdul Aziz and his son Asif tried to get indoors. Saghir Ahmed used a piece of wood with a nail or a screw through it to strike both of them. He hit Abdul Aziz near the eye and caused a 6.5cm cut, and hit Mr Aziz's son on the back of the head, which needed 19 stitches for.
After they got inside, Iftikar Ahmed threw a tin of red paint through the Aziz family's front room window, and caused damage to the front door by hitting it with a piece of wood. He also shouted threats.
Judge Nicholas Cartwright told the group: "
This must have been a terrifying ordeal for the Aziz family."
Saghir Ahmed, 39, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm, malicious wounding and affray. He was sentenced to 39 months in prison.
Mahmood, 35, pleaded guilty to affray and was sentenced to 19 months.
Khan, 34, also pleaded guilty to affray and was sentenced to 18 months, as did Azam, 44, and Raza, 31, who got 14-month jail terms.
Iftikar Ahmed, 38, pleaded guilty to affray and criminal damage. He was given a 16-month jail term, suspended for two years and ordered to carry out 160 hours of community service.
Ali, 66, pleaded guilty to affray, and was given a 14-month jail term suspended for two years.
