Brierfield assault victim was 'left for dead' (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Brierfield assault victim was 'left for dead'

4:00pm Monday 20th August 2012 in Pendle

A SECOND takeaway boss accused of attacking a man who was ‘left for dead’ with a fractured skull has denied assault.

Mohammed Nawaz, 44, told a Burnley Crown Court jury he was a family man, and a businessman, and had never used violence to anyone in his life.

Nawaz and his brother, Mohammed Arfan, 36, are business partners and run several branches of the Dixie Chicken franchise, in the Burnley and Pendle areas.

The pair, together with their employee, Mohammed Javed, 41, are said to have jumped from a car and attacked Asif Hussain, 39, with weapons, in Colne Road, Brierfield, on June 20 last year. Mr Hussain suffered multiple injuries, including a broken leg. He has claimed to the jury they were def-initely responsible for the ‘brutal’ assault and left him for dead.

Arfan, of Manchester Road, and Nawaz, of Hardy Avenue, both Nelson, and Javed, of Burnley Road, Brierfield, all deny causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

The prosecution has claimed there was an escalating dispute between the trio and Mr Hussain in the days leading up to the attack.

It is alleged the brothers and Javed attacked him to punish, and intimidate, him because they thought he had been showing disrespect.

As Nawaz gave evidence, the hearing was told Mr Hussain was said to have accepted he had driven round the back of the defend- ant’s house and slashed his tyres at 4am.

Nawaz told the court after he had had his tyres sorted out, he drove to Brierfield. He claimed three people were standing outside a vehicle. One was Mr Hussain and he had a knife. The defend-ant alleged one of the other two hit him on the head with a hockey stick, and he was chased to the Dixie Chicken shop.

Nawaz was asked by his barrister, Ben Morris: “Why do you feel Asif Hussain and the two others were behaving like this towards you?”

The defendant alleged: “They are drug dealers and we stopped them using our car park.”

Nawaz said he had taken Javed home from the Nelson Dixie Chicken shop at about 7pm, had gone to Burnley, and had then gone home. He said he took his dog for a walk and phoned Javed to discuss him work-ing the day after. The defendant said at about 10pm to 10.30pm, he was contacted and told Asif Hussain had been run over by a car.

There were rumours he and his brother had run Mr Hussain over and when his sons, who had been to the gym, told him, he then got a bit concerned. The court heard Nawaz, who discussed the matter with a solicitor and realised police wanted to speak to him, went to the police station. He was arrested and accused.

(Proceeding)