Brothers sentenced for battering taxi driver and men who tried to come to his aid
Two brothers who battered a taxi driver and then knocked out two men who tried to intervene, leaving them with broken bones and missing teeth, have been sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court. Cabbie Sheekh Hassan was attacked by Nikesh McHugh, his brother Jon Wright and sister Dilesha McHugh, after he asked them to get out of his vehicle.
Nikesh McHugh was seen on CCTV footage chasing Hassan down Newington in Liverpool city centre. He can be seen punching him and then pulling down his trousers. Sam Higham, his wife Rebecca and friend Liam Moran witnessed McHugh standing over his victim and tried to intervene by shouting for him to stop attacking Hassan. Mr Moran was then set upon by Wright, who pushed him, sending him tumbling over a car bonnet. McHugh then ran across the street and set his sights on Mr Higham. The footage showed him hitting his second victim with a flurry of punches, causing him to fall to the ground unconscious. The impact of the fall was so severe it caused Mr Higham to suffer a fractured skull, with bruising of the brain, and a broken left cheekbone.
Fortunately Mr Higham has since made a full recovery. Mr Wright then punched Mr Moran, knocking out five of his teeth, leaving him unconscious. Liverpool Crown Court heard the cabbie suffered abrasions during the incident, which took place at around 2.15am on 1 December 2018. As reported in the Liverpool Echo, Jamie Baxter, prosecuting, said the siblings got in Mr Hassan's vehicle after he had already agreed to picking up other passengers, which led to a "disagreement". He added that a "disturbance" began inside the vehicle and Mr McHugh claimed the driver made an "inappropriate comment" to his sister, which is why he attacked him. The court heard that during his arrest, Wright struggled with officers and even spat at them. Dilesha McHugh, 19, Crawley, West Sussex, who pushed Mrs Higham over, admitted common assault and received a conditional discharge. Convicted heroin dealer Nikesh McHugh, 25, of Crawley, West Sussex, who had a history of breaking the law and served jail time in 2011 for violent disorder, admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm and affray. Defending, Martine Snowdon, said McHugh, accepted it was an "appalling piece of violence" and was shocked by his own actions.
She said the siblings were enjoying a family night out before the incident happened, stating that the attack was not premeditated. Wright, 37, of Middleton, Greater Manchester, admitted assault causing actual bodily harm and affray. Keith Jones, defending Wright, said he was kicked by either Mr Higham or Mr Moran while on the ground. It was agreed Wright required a pre-sentence report, meaning his sentencing was adjourned until 17 September, at Chester Crown Court. Nikesh McHugh was jailed for 32 months. She added: "It's fortunate for him you did not cause any more serious injury. This could have been a fatal injury."
