Two men jailed for beating boy unconscious and robbing him

Two Stoke-on-Trent men have been jailed for more than three years each for beating another man unconscious in the street.

Nomann Mushtaq, aged 19 from Newlands Street, Shelton, and Bashir Elsaid, aged 20, of Vinebank Street, in Boothen, were sentenced at Stafford Crown Court on January 17 after they were found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm to a 17-year-old boy and robbery.

The pair were walking with the victim on September 22, 2019, on Norfolk Street when they stopped abruptly and began assaulting him. Elsaid launched into an unprovoked attack, the court heard, knocking the boy to the floor and leaving him unconscious. Mushtaq then joined Elsaid in kicking him to the head and body before stealing his mobile phone.

A witness called the police and ambulance and the victim was taken to hospital to be treated for bleeding to the right eye, cuts, bruising and a fractured eye socket. He left hospital but later had to return with further complications to his condition.

The attack was caught on CCTV and police visited the defendants’ homes to make the arrests. They found the stolen Nokia phone under the pillow of Mushtaq’s bed along with clothing which contained DNA evidence. Elsaid’s home was also searched and more items of clothing were seized as evidence.

A video of the assault was recorded one of the attackers’ phones and identified Elsaid.

Mushtaq was sentenced to 46 months in prison and Elsaid was given a 45 month jail term.

Sergeant Marc Proctor of the Neighbourhood Action Team, said: “We are extremely pleased with this result and are glad to see two violent men taken off of the streets and put into prison.

“It is thanks to the fast and effective local policing that these offenders were quickly arrested and charged. Hopefully this will serve as a stark reminder that this sort of violence will not be tolerated in Staffordshire.”