A British man hailed as a hero after he appealed for calm during the riots that killed his son last summer was handed a 12-month suspended jail sentence on Thursday for breaking a man’s jaw.
Tariq Jahan, whose son Haroon was one of three men of South Asian origin killed when riots rocked Britain’ second city Birmingham last August, was found guilty of attacking a factory worker he accused of staring at his wife. The 46-year-old broke Sajjid Ali’ jaw during the argument on July 6, Birmingham Crown Court heard. Jahan claimed he had acted in self-defence after Ali headbutted him, but was found guilty of grievous bodily harm and given a 12-month sentence, suspended for two years.
He was cleared of the more serious charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
The attack happened a month before Jahan won national acclaim for his dignified response to the death of his son, who was hit by a car while trying to protect shops and homes from looters. Police acknowledged that it was only Jahan’s emotional plea for peace that saved the area from an eruption of inter-ethnic violence, after young Asian men vowed to take revenge for the killings.
“I don’t want any of you to fight,” he had told an angry crowd of some 150 men on August 11 last year, hours after his son was killed.
“My son died defending the community he lived in. We’re part of this community so please go home.”
