An angry Mercedes driver jumped on a young woman's car bonnet, smashed her windscreen and then punched her in the face in a road rage row.
Akaash Hussain was sentenced on Thursday for the offence alongside three men for their part in a huge drugs operation. Hussain appeared alongside Mohammed Haq, Mustafa Zaidi, and Zeeshan Hussain at Manchester Crown Court for four incidents.
The first was a drugs operation run by the two Hussain brothers out of a flat in Albany Court in Redcar Avenue, Withington, rented by Zeeshan Hussain’s girlfriend at the time in 2018, reports The Manchester Evening News.
Geoff Whelan, prosecuting, told the court the trio were involved in supplying cocaine, cannabis, and ketamine in a “mid-level” commercial enterprise, with business cards found at the property with the word “Aqua” on them and a phone number linked to one of the drug lines used by the Hussain brothers.
The scheme also used online noticeboard Craigslist to advertise drugs for sale.
Police started investigating after neighbours became suspicious, and stopped Zeeshan, now 21, in Manchester city centre, with the then-teenager dropping something in the river before he was taken into custody. Several phones were seized from the property, along with around £3,000 of cash found in a drawer, along with £2,755 worth of cocaine, £7,100 worth of cannabis, and £405 of ketamine.
Akaash Hussain, 23, who had been released on bail as the drugs conspiracy case was pending against him, also faced charges for the “road rage” incident, which was seemingly unprovoked.
The court heard how he was driving a black Mercedes in Salford on November 24, 2018, when he got stuck in traffic, mounting the pavement before pulling in front of a car driven by a young woman. He then got out of the car with another man, jumped on the bonnet of the vehicle, and started stamping on the windscreen, before getting down and punching the driver’s side window until it smashed. He then punched the driver in the face, leaving her with a “gaping wound” around her eyebrow which required stitches before driving away from the scene.
That wasn’t the end of Akaash Hussain’s spate of offending though, as the now 23-year-old also faced a charge of perverting the course of justice, alongside 21-year-old Haq and Zaidi. The offence is linked to a firearms incident on Slade Lane in Levenshulme, Greater Manchester in the early hours on June 4, 2019, where several shots were fired at the front of a house.
Akaas Hussain and Haq are said to have spoken to the alleged gunman, who is due to sit trial for the incident next year, on the phone a number of times before and after the incident. Akaas Hussain, Haq and Zaidi then got into a taxi and headed to Crantock Street, Levenshulme, where they set a Peugeot, believed to have been involved in the shooting, on fire in an attempt to destroy evidence.
The group visited a petrol station, with CCTV showing Zaidi buying a green petrol can before filling it up. CCTV from the site of the fire shows the group walking past with Zaidi holding the petrol can, before the group walk back a few minutes later without the container. Two petrol bombs were found inside the vehicle when it was recovered.
One of the reasons for the delay in bringing the case to sentence is the fact that the alleged gunman is due to be tried for his crimes, but the hearing is not set to be held until next year. Usually, the courts try to sentence all defendants convicted of related crimes at the same time, but an exception was made in this case to prevent any further delays.
The final incident related to Haq’s part in a violent confrontation between two groups in the early hours on June 12, 2020. A group of friends who had been out at 256 bar in Fallowfield, Greater Manchester were involved in a violent confrontation with a group of men after one of them fell into a car owned by one of the men. A scuffle ensued, with Haq running after the group and launching an attack on one of the men alongside one of his friends, before the two groups split apart when the original victim managed to run away.
The bar goers decided to continue their night, and were waiting for a taxi when they were found again by Haq’s group, and a second assault ensued, with Haq using the walking stick he had been using after he had been injured in a separate incident as a weapon. He hit one of the men in the side of the head, leaving a large bump, whilst a group of around 15 men surrounded the bar group, with a number of people trying to punch some of the innocent party. A member of Haq’s group was seen with a knife, and slashed the face of Haq’s victim as he sat in the back of the taxi, leaving him bleeding. The victims were able to fight off the Haq's group, and were taken to hospital by the taxi driver.
All four men pleaded guilty to the charges put against them. David Birrell, representing the Hussain brothers, urged for leniency against his clients as they were both very young at the time of the drugs offence. Akaash, who turned 19 whilst the conspiracy was ongoing, has no relevant convictions, with a community order handed down against him for obstructing a police officer in March 2018.
Mr Birrell added that the use of a single blow to the young woman involved in the road rage incident, and the fact her scar was mostly hidden by her eyebrow were all mitigating factors, as was the fact no one was harmed in the gun-related incident. He has also been in prison since before the pandemic, going through the tough prison conditions during lockdown and facing delays in being dealt with for his crimes.
Zeeshan, who was just 17-years-old at the time, is currently serving an eight year sentence for wounding and possession of an offensive weapon, being sentenced to the term in June 2019. Mr Birrell described him as a “talented and intelligent young man” who achieved good GCSEs and has completed certificates in prison.
Chudi Grant representing Haq, said his client had experienced particularly poor prison conditions, being unable to be visited by his legal team or even receive letters at one point during the pandemic. Haq had only just turned 18 two months before the first offence, and has matured since the incidents. Haq’s only previous convictions are for unrelated matters, driving offences when he was just 17.
Mr Grant says the assault was unplanned and not targeted, arising out of the damage done to the car by one of the members of the victim’s group, and his client was genuinely remorseful for his actions and had spent his first spell in custody in the time leading up to the sentencing.
Sukhdev Garcha, representing Zaidi, said his client’s position for the count of perverting the course of justice was slightly different from the other two defendants, as Zaidi did not directly speak with the alleged gunman. He asked for a suspended sentence to be considered for his client, as he is ready to start a course at Manchester College in September and is “putting his life in order”.
Recorder Nicholas Dean QC, the Honorary Recorder of Manchester, declined to suspend the sentence, handing each of the men an immediate prison sentence for their crimes.
Speaking to Haq, Akaash Hussain, and Zaidi, he said: “You involved yourselves in a conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. It’s clear that was gang related activity, you were not involved in the discharge of the firearm or the conspiracy but when you involved yourself in attempting to destroy a vehicle that was involved in that attack you knew full well you were trying to destroy evidence which may have incriminated others who were involved. Gun crime is all too common in Greater Manchester and gang-related gun crime is a particular issue in this city.”
Akaash Hussain was sentenced to three years and four months for conspiracy to supply Class A and Class B drugs, 19 months for the section 20 assault in the road rage incident, and 19 months for perverting the course of justice for a total of six and a half years imprisonment. His loved ones hugged each other as they realised that meant he could be released imminently, as he has already served the equivalent of half that sentence.
Zeeshan Hussain was sentenced to three years imprisonment for conspiracy to supply Class A and Class B drugs, meaning he must serve an additional 18 months imprisonment after his current minimum term for the sentence elapses.
Haq was handed a 28 month sentence for perverting the course of justice, and 15 months for violent disorder, totalling a three year and seven month sentence. Zaidi was given two years and one month sentence for perverting the course of justice.
