Ten men have now been sentenced to a combined total of more than 130 years following a violent feud in Stoke-on-Trent which culminated in a revenge petrol attack that set a mother on fire in front of her teenage daughter.
Ali Abbas, Haris Mahmood, Shakil Uddin, Muhammad Sufyaan-Shah, Tayyeb Majeed, Riyadh Iqbal and Lukman Khan were sentenced for their respective roles in the attack on Beverley Drive, Bentilee, on December 16, 2021.
The court heard the attack was carried out in revenge following violence earlier that day in which Kashif Ahmed had been stabbed in the shoulder.
The intended target was Naveed Hussain, the former partner of the woman who lived at the property.
Instead, the woman and her 13-year-old daughter were inside when the gang arrived.
Mother And Daughter Forced To Jump From Window
Prosecutor Siobhan Collins told the court that the mother and daughter were inside the two-bedroom semi-detached house when the fire was started.
Both eventually escaped by jumping from a first-floor window.
The mother suffered life-threatening injuries.
She sustained burns to around 45% of her head, neck, legs and upper arms, alongside a severe inhalation injury.
She also suffered fractured ribs, a fractured pelvis and a lacerated liver.
Doctors initially believed she might not survive.
Her 13-year-old daughter suffered burns to around 12% of her body, an inhalation injury and required skin grafts.
Attack Followed Earlier Street Violence
The court heard the events began at around 4.20pm when Naveed Hussain and another unidentified man became involved in violence with another group.
That group included Kashif Ahmed, his brother Bilal Ahmed, their cousin Ali Abbas and another unidentified man.
During the confrontation, Hussain stabbed Kashif Ahmed in the shoulder.
Prosecutors said that stabbing “established the foundations” for the revenge attack later that night.
Within moments, members of the group began contacting others.
Petrol Bought Before Attack
Police investigations later traced a BMW to a Jet petrol station on Lightwood Road.
Haris Mahmood and Shakil Uddin were seen purchasing petrol and filling two containers.
Prosecutors said Ali Abbas was involved in discussions with other defendants and was “at the centre of the activity”.
Two vehicles later travelled to Bentilee carrying nine men.
They included the seven defendants, one man who has since fled the jurisdiction and another person who has not been identified.
‘Get Her In The Back’
At around 11pm, the group arrived at the Beverley Drive property.
The teenage daughter heard noise and saw men breaking into the house while demanding to know where her stepfather was.
Her mother attempted to close the door.
The court heard a window was smashed and she could smell petrol.
She pulled her daughter behind her while trying to shut the attackers out.
The mother later recalled hearing a match being lit and the sound of liquid being poured.
Her clothes then caught fire.
Mother Was Screaming And On Fire
Judge Mayo described the scene faced by the woman and her daughter as horrific.
The Christmas tree was standing in the living room and the daughter had been upstairs on her phone before the attack began.
The teenager described seeing her mother screaming as flames covered her hair, face, arms and legs.
Both eventually escaped through a bedroom window.
The judge said the woman had been entirely unaware that her partner had been involved in violence elsewhere in Stoke-on-Trent earlier that day.
Judge Calls It Deliberate Revenge
Judge Mayo said the attack had been motivated by revenge for what he described as the relatively minor injury suffered by Kashif Ahmed.
He said: “It is virtually impossible to imagine a more horrific scene that the victim faced just after 11pm on December 16, 2021.”
The judge said nine men had travelled to Bentilee in two cars before the house was attacked.
Ali Abbas Jailed For 25 Years
Ali Abbas, 23, of Normacot, pleaded guilty to arson with intent to endanger life and two counts of attempted murder.
He was jailed for 25 years.
Haris Mahmood Jailed For 23 Years And Nine Months
Haris Mahmood, 22, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to attempted murder and two counts of arson with intent to endanger life.
He was sentenced to 23 years and nine months.
Shakil Uddin Receives Longest Sentence
Shakil Uddin, 23, of Oldham, was convicted following a trial of attempted murder and arson with intent to endanger life.
He received the longest sentence of the seven defendants and was jailed for 34 years.
Four More Men Jailed
Muhammad Sufyaan-Shah, 25, of no fixed address, was convicted of grievous bodily harm with intent and jailed for 11 years and six months.
Tayyeb Majeed, 24, of Longton, was convicted of grievous bodily harm with intent and sentenced to 10 years and six months.
Riyadh Iqbal, 23, of Normacot, was convicted of grievous bodily harm with intent and arson with intent and jailed for 12 years and six months.
Lukman Khan, 25, also of Normacot, was convicted of grievous bodily harm with intent and arson with intent and received a sentence of 12 years and six months.
Nearly 130 Years In Prison
The seven sentences amount to a combined 129 years and nine months.
Judge Mayo said he had considered the overall punishment when imposing sentences which he described as just and proportionate.
Each defendant will serve two-thirds of his custodial sentence before becoming eligible to serve the remainder on licence.
