Shezad Zaman, a 37-year-old luxury car wash business owner from Hall Green, has been handed a suspended two-year jail sentence after being convicted of assaulting, strangling, and stalking his ex-girlfriend. The victim, who wished to remain anonymous, described the abuse as 'something you would see in a horror film'.
The Abuse and Its Impact
The abuse took place between 2023 and 2024, leaving the woman in her 20s with serious injuries including bruising, a broken nose, and a perforated eardrum. In a police press release, she recounted her ordeal: 'I was not allowed any friends. He ended all my friendships due to control and jealousy. He demanded I had my phone location on at all times but this was not enough for him.'
She added: 'I was strangled to the point I accepted I was going to die at the hands of somebody who was supposed to be my protector. He told me on multiple occasions that he was going to take my beauty so nobody else would want to be with me again. If he couldn’t have me, nobody could.'
Zaman's Business and Previous Headlines
Zaman is the director of DAC Car Wash on Stoney Lane in Sparkbrook, which claims to have the 'UK's leading car wash team' and features supercars on its website. In 2018, he made positive headlines for hiring a homeless man, Kriss Wilkes, after passing him on the streets daily. Zaman also offered him accommodation. However, the situation soured within a month, with Wilkes returning to the streets after 'disputes' over pay. Zaman claimed other staff had complained about Wilkes.
The Sentence
At Birmingham Crown Court on June 5, 2026, Zaman was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended, and issued a ten-year restraining order prohibiting contact with the victim. The victim stated: 'I was held hostage in my car by Zaman on many occasions, trapped many times when I tried to leave. He hid my car keys, locked doors, smashed my phone, smashed my car and even put my car into a ditch to stop me from escaping him while carrying out the abuse.' She concluded that while she had 'carried the pain' of the abuse, Zaman now had to 'carry the truth'.
