A MAN has been jailed after a butcher was threatened his shop would be petrol-bombed, and his son and a customer were attacked.

The incident happened after a woman involved in a road smash outside the premises lied to her brothers about what happened afterwards, a court heard.

The trouble was started by Nabila Zaman, who was aggressive, intimidating and foul-mouthed after the crash, at the junction of Every Street and Pendle Street, Nelson, on April 21.

She called in her brothers, who believed her lies and didn’t bother to find out what had really gone on.

The trouble escalated and the brothers went to the shop to threaten owner George Mellin, and his son, Nicholas.

Burnley Crown Court was told how Nabila Zaman had hurled abuse at the other driver, a 58-year-old woman.

And when George McFadyen, a 49-year-old customer at Mellin’s, in Every Street, went to try and calm the situation, he was floored, kicked repeatedly in the head and body, and left injured by Ms Zaman’s brother, Sheraz Zaman.

Nicholas Mellin saw the customer being kicked hard, went to his rescue and was thumped in the face.

Not long after, George Mellin received two menacing phone calls from another brother, Mohammed Nawaz, telling the butcher ‘nobody messed with his sister’, and he ‘would have Mr Mellin’s head for a trophy’.

Zaman’s solicitor told the court the disturbance had been ‘deeply unsavoury’.

Zaman, 22, of Manchester Road, Nelson, admitted two counts of assault causing actual bodily harm, and was jailed for nine months.

Nawaz, 30, of Reedyford Road, Nelson, pleaded guilty to threats to cause damage.

Father-of-two Nawaz rec-eived a 12-month community order. The hearing was told Nabila Zaman has been dealt with by the magistrates for a minor public order offence, and was fined.

David Macro, prosecuting, said at about 11.10am three vehicles were involved in the accident.

Nabila Zaman got out of her Ford Focus and was aggressive and intimidating to the 58-year- old driver, who was still sitting in her vehicle.

Mr McFadyen went outside the shop, asked Ms Zaman to calm down and she turned her obscenities towards him.

He went back into the butcher’s to get a pen and paper and noticed Ms Zaman on her mobile phone, saying: “You better get here. You better get here quickly.”

Then the violence flared, the court heard.