Tariq Jahan has been accused of assaulting a man on Factory Road, Hockley, on July 6th 2011. He was said to have attacked Sajjad Ali, 34, after accusing Mr Ali of looking at his wife.
Jahan, 46, received a Pride of Britain award in recognition of his contribution in ending the violence after the riots in Birmingham last August.
The assault on Factory Road left Mr Ali with a broken jaw and two missing teeth. Jahan, of Winson Street, Winson Green, denies the charges of grievous bodily harm with intent and inflicting grievous bodily harm. Defence solicitor Ali Naseem Bajwa, QC, told the jury that the victim’s account of the assault was inconsistent, and that staff at the Queen Elizabeth hospital noted that a number of youths had been involved in the attack on Ali.
The court heard how Jahan grabbed Mr Ali by the throat before punching him to the ground during an argument, breaking Mr Ali’s jaw in two places. Prosecutor Shenaz Muzaffer said a medical expert had concluded that it would take a moderate to severe use of force to cause his injuries.
Mr Bajwa acknowledged that Jahan lied to police and in court statements and damaged his credibility, but claimed he had done this to protect his wife and family. Jahan claimed he was acting in self-defence, and was forced to hit the victim, an action that he said he regretted. Mr Bajwa added that the injuries to Mr Ali happened unintentionally in circumstances that were unavoidable.
In summing up the case, Judge William Davis told the jury to put emotional issues to one side when reaching their verdict. Mr Bajwa had earlier asked the jury to give a dispassionate and fair verdict based on the arguments, and not sympathy, emotion or admiration for Jahan.
