Alizaib Azhar, a 20-year-old from Brooklyn Avenue, Aston, has been sentenced to six years and nine months in prison for stabbing a man with a machete in a dispute over drug-dealing territory. The attack occurred near a Tesco in Aston on January 20 last year, following a confrontation in which Azhar accused the victim of 'shotting', a slang term for drug dealing. Birmingham Crown Court heard that Azhar was working for drug dealers in the area to ensure no other suppliers operated there.
Confrontation outside Tesco
The initial encounter took place when Azhar saw the victim talking to another man in the street and challenged him about his presence in 'his area'. He asked the man whether he was 'shotting', to which the victim replied, 'what you on about?' and asked what it had to do with him. Azhar then pulled out his machete and poked it through the window of the victim's SEAT Leon to ward him away.
Both parties left the scene, but Azhar sought revenge. In a later confrontation, he stabbed the male in the leg with his knife. The 19-year-old initially lied to a jury, claiming he had been mistakenly identified as the culprit on CCTV. However, he confessed after jurors found him guilty of wounding with intent.
Sentencing and dangerousness ruling
Judge Richard Bond told Azhar: "The circumstances of the exchange, coupled with the weapon in your possession, lead me to the conclusion you had an interest in drug dealing in the Aston area. You were using your machete to keep new faces away from the locality and the locality of people you were probably working for. Not because you objected to drug dealing, this was directly connected to people drug dealing who you were, by your actions, encouraging."
Given his previous convictions for wounding, robbery, and threats with a knife, Azhar was declared 'dangerous' and handed a three-year extended licence in addition to his prison sentence. Judge Bond also noted that Azhar had a significant cannabis habit, smoking up to '15 spliffs a day'.
Revenge attack captured on CCTV
After the initial confrontation, Azhar drove off and was followed by the victim for a couple of minutes but managed to lose him. Judge Bond continued: "You decided to seek revenge. You recruited a friend to drive you. You also changed your clothing. A few minutes later you came across the SEAT on another road. What happened next was captured on CCTV. Your vehicle pushed the SEAT into the middle of the road. You got out and ran towards (the victim) sitting in his vehicle. You withdrew your machete from its protective shield. You smashed the driver's window and struck at his body on more than one occasion with the weapon."
The judge said the incident was aggravated by the fact it took place in a busy location with other people around. The victim sped away and was later helped to hospital by police officers who were alerted by his erratic driving. He remained in hospital for just under a week.
Defence and impact
Aimee Parkes, defending Azhar, described him as 'naive and immature'. She said: "Clearly there's a cognitive process that doesn't seem to have worked at the time the offence took place. There is some acknowledgement from him, accepting responsibility and some degree of victim empathy. He seems to have become aware his behaviour is having an impact on others other than himself. He has been arrested from a young age of 13. He has something of an addiction towards serious weapons and weapons that cause serious harm. He also seems to have an attraction to a violent lifestyle."
Azhar's sentence of six years and nine months, along with the extended licence, reflects the severity of the offence and his history of violent behaviour. The case highlights the ongoing issues of drug-related violence in Aston and the efforts of the justice system to address such crimes.
