A ‘GANG leader’ and his son are both behind bars after mob violence in which a man was knifed and another victim left with a head wound.

Burnley Crown Court heard between 50 and 60 people were involved in the incident in Montague Street in Brierfield, during which Waseem Saeed, 23, twice stabbed defenceless Mohammed Altaf in the back.

As he struck, Saeed told his victim: “Take this”, and afterwards proudly asked him: “Did you feel it?”, the court heard.

Mr Altaf, who had been trying to stop the trouble on May 23, already had a medical condition for which he needed to take blood-thinning medication.

He had surgery and had to go back to hospital again for more treatment when complications later set in.

Not long after the attack, the second victim, Mohammed Hanif, suffered a laceration to his head after the defendant’s father, Saeed Ahmed, 59, struck him with his walking stick.

The victim, who had also been trying to restore peace, suffered a two-centimetre gash which had to be glued.

Saeed was jailed for four years after admitting wounding.

He was in breach of a suspended prison term.

Ahmed pleaded guilty to assault causing actual bodily harm and was locked up for 14 months.

He had no previous convictions. Both father and son lived in Montague Street.

The court had been told how Ahmed believed he had been insulted by a community member, went to look for him, and was angry, as were other family members.

At about 5.45pm, he was on the street with a lot of people, demanding the person he thought had wronged him be punished.

Two phone calls were made and the person and his party arrived in a car, thinking he would be able to apologise.

But he had been lured to the street by Ahmed’s gang, said to have had violence in mind. Up to 60 people were in the street.

Adrian Palmer, for Saeed, said he had fled abroad as a result of his actions, but had come back to face the music.

The defendant, who came from a supportive family, had become involved in something that clearly he shouldn’t have done.

For Ahmed, Martin Hackett said he did not accept he had had violence on his mind, although he accepted threats had been made.

The barrister said: “In my submission, it is out of character.”