Minicab turf war sees four men handed suspended sentences

Four men have been handed suspended prison sentences for their involvement in a bitter minicab turf war which escalated into violence during the early hours of Christmas Day 2018.

The violence, which was caught on CCTV, was shown at court during the trial of the four men.

Mohammed Shabir, brothers Mahboob Hussain and Dawoud Hussain, and Ben Egan attacked the base of Bradford minicab firm, Ace Budget Cars, over a dispute. The men used various objects, including a bin, a cone and a petrol can, to smash entry into the premises.

The court heard how three of the men, Shabir, 33, Mahboob Hussain, 39, and Dawoud Hussain, 37, had been working at rival firm A&M Taxis, during the attack on ACE Budget Cars.

The men claimed that the attack was in retaliation to a brick being thrown through the window of one of their vehicles during the night before.

The court also heard how the men had been receiving threatening phone calls in the run-up to the incident.

Shabir and the two Hussain brothers drove to the base of Ace Budget Cars, where they got into a fight with a driver from the rival company.

The man was able to lock himself into the offices causing his attackers to try and force entry.

The three men were joined in their attempts by Ben Egan, 37, who was drunk, but the four men failed to gain entry and get to their target.

The men caused around £1,000 worth of damage during the attack.

As reported in the Telegraph and Argus, all four men pleaded guilty to affray and were sentenced to a six month jail term, suspended for 18 months for three defendants, and two years for Egan.

Mahboob Hussain and Egan were ordered to complete work in the community, of 150 hours and 180 hours respectively. Shabir and Dawoud Hussain received curfews lasting four months. 

The attack sparked retaliation later that Christmas Day by members of Ace Budget Cars - an incident reported by Taxipoint earlier this year.

Two men were jailed for the revenge attack on Shabir, who was working back at the offices of his local cab firm.

Shabir was left needing 12 stitches to his neck after being slashed with a craft knife.  The revenge attack was also caught on CCTV, which was used during the trial of the two attackers. 

Shabir was set upon and punched repeatedly as he sat in his chair. One of the attackers then grabbed a craft knife from the desk and slashed Shabir across the back of his neck, leaving him needing 12 stitches to close the wound. 29-year-old Faisal Munir Hussain, and family friend Qasim Ali, 34, along with a third man, who is yet to be identified, had gone into the office with the intent to assault Mr Shabir. Hussain, of Bradford, pleaded guilty to a charge of wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm and was jailed for five years and five months. Ali, also of Bradford, admitted a lesser unlawful wounding charge and he was sentenced to 14 months.

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