A WITNESS who failed to turn up to give evidence in a court case was today starting a 28 day jail term.

Father-of-two Mohammed Ziareb, 21, of Richmond Hill Street, Accrington, was the second witness put behind bars by Judge Barbara Watson at Burnley Crown Court.

Mr Ziareb followed fellow witness Ashfaq Ahmed, 49, of Willows Lane, who was also sent down for a month, on May 11.

The pair had been summonsed and had been due to give evidence in the case of Adeel Ashraf, 20, Stephen Hartshorn, 23, and Sudaquat Ali, 23, who were facing a charge of assault causing actual bodily harm.

Ashraf, of Belfield Road, admitted the allegation and was jailed for six months. Ali, of Nelson Street, also pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentence.

The prosecution offered no evidence against Hartshorn, of Edmund Street, on the day of trial when witnesses failed to appear. All defendants live in Accrington.

Jailing Mr Ziareb, the judge said the failure of witnesses to attend court had compelled the prosecution to offer no evidence against one defendant.

Judge Watson said Mr Ziareb had claimed he had made an innocent mistake about the trial date but the summons was quite clear and although Mr Ziareb did not speak English his wife did.