Pair face jail for attack on Ramsbottom chef (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Pair face jail for attack on Ramsbottom chef

4:00pm Wednesday 6th March 2013 in News By Gaynor Clarke, Reporter

TWO men have been warned they face jail after admitting their part in an attack which left a chef in a coma for three weeks.

Aaron Warrington, 24, and Marcus Dawson, 20, pleaded guilty to assault charges when they appeared at Bolton Crown Court yesterday.

The charges were in connection with an assault on Farhad Ghassemi, a chef at the award-winning Ramsons, in Market Place, Ramsbottom, on September 7 last year.

Warrington, of Peel Brow, Ramsbottom, admitted causing grievous bodily harm; and Dawson, of Olive Bank, Bury, admitted attempted grievous bodily harm with intent.

The chef had been driving home at around 11pm when the incident happened at the junction of Bridge Street and Bolton Street.

The court heard he was punched and kicked, and was knocked unconscious.

He suffered an injury to his brain and was in a medically-induced coma for three weeks.

The brain injury has left Mr Ghassemi, who moved to the UK from Iran five years ago, with speech difficulties.

He is also unable to drive, and it is not known if he will make a full recovery, the court heard.

Roger Brown, prosecuting, said: “We take the view that those two pleas reflect the parts of these two defendants in what happened, and make it clear that the Crown are perfectly aware that there were other people who were involved in this. They haven’t been brought to justice.”

The case was adjourned for sentencing, on April 16, so that reports can be prepared.

Judge Elliot Knopf warned Warrington and Dawson that they would both receive a custodial sentence.

Warrington was remanded into custody, and Dawson was bailed, with conditions including a curfew and that he must not enter Ramsbottom.