A 35-year-old Indian-origin man in England has been jailed for nine years for attacking one of his neighbours with a wooden pole in 2022, leaving him with multiple serious facial fractures.
Rishi Casseeram was sentenced at the Luton Crown Court on July 21 to eight years in prison for causing grievous bodily harm and a further year in prison for the assault.
Calling Casseeram a “dangerous” offender, the judge said he will have to serve a further four years on license.
The court heard that the victim and Casseeram got into a verbal argument a few days before the attack took place in June last year.
On June 25, 2022, the victim returned home and saw Casseeram coming towards him in his flat. He tried to shut the door but Casseeram forced his way in, the Bedfordshire Police said.
The attack by Casseeram left his victim with serious multiple facial fractures as well as substantial bruising to his back.
The victim told officers who initially attended: “I can’t believe this. He just kept hitting me”.
“This was an extraordinarily violent attack that left behind a truly shocking crime scene. The victim in this case will have to live with the impact of Casseeram’s actions for the rest of his life,” Detective Sergeant Bill Haigh from Bedfordshire Police said.
Surgeons who treated the victim said his injuries were consistent with being attacked with a blunt instrument like a baseball bat.
Casseeram was arrested at his flat in Dewsbury Road, Luton, soon after the attack was reported to police.
Further investigation by police established that he had punched another of his neighbours in the face the day before.
Casseeram tried to claim in court that someone else had attacked the victim in the more serious assault, and he was acting in self-defence during the other incident.
However, the jury found him guilty of inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent and assault in December.
“Violent thugs like Casseeram have no place on the streets of Bedfordshire. I am glad we have been able to put him behind bars for a considerable period of time,” Detective Sergeant Haigh said.
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