Indian-origin man receives 9-year jail term in UK for 'extraordinarily violent attack' on neighbour

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An Indian-origin man has been sentenced to nine years in jail by a United Kingdom court after it found him guilty of violently attacking one of his neighbours with a wooden pole.

Rishi Casseeram, 35, left his victim with multiple serious facial fractures as well as substantial bruising to his back, according to the Bedfordshire Police which conducted the investigation. The attack took place in June last year when Casseeram was arrested at his flat in Luton, eastern England, and sentenced for the crime Luton Crown Court earlier this month, PTI reported.

"This was an extraordinarily violent attack that left behind a truly shocking crime scene," said Detective Sergeant Bill Haigh from Bedfordshire Police.

"The victim in this case will have to live with the impact of Casseeram's actions for the rest of his life. 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," he said.

The court heard that the victim and Casseeram got into a verbal argument a few days before the attack. On June 25, 2022, the victim returned home and saw Casseeram coming towards him in his flat and failed to shut the door before he forced his way in, the report said.

According to the police, surgeons who treated the victim said his injuries were consistent with being attacked with a blunt instrument like a baseball bat. The victim told police officers: "I can't believe this. He just kept hitting me."

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Further investigation by police established that Casseeram had punched another of his neighbours in the face the day before. He 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. But a jury found Casseeram guilty of inflicting grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent and assault in December last year.

At Luton Crown Court on July 21, Casseeram was sentenced to eight years in prison for the GBH and a further year in prison for the assault.

The judge called Casseeram a "dangerous" offender, who will have to serve a further four years on licence or monitoring. (PTI)