Teenagers 'Left Victim Blind in Ferocious Attack'
By Melvyn Howe, PA News

http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=3706391

A laughing schoolboy gang left a university graduate
blind and bed-ridden after beating him repeatedly with
a road sweeper’s broom, a court heard today.

Their victim, devout Muslim Yasir Abdelmouttalib, was
attacked on his way to afternoon prayers.

He remains in hospital near five months after the
“ferocious” assault that allegedly saw his head being
hit like a croquet ball.

Doctors fear the 22-year-old will never recover,
London’s Harrow Crown Court was told.

It was claimed that trouble flared after the three
14-year-olds spotted him wearing traditional Muslim
clothes at a bus stop.

Steven Perian, prosecuting, said that following a
“barrage of spitting”, they threw a street bin at him
and then snatched a broom from a nearby road sweeper’s
dustcart.

“It was used by at least one person ... to hit him on
the head a number of times, with one witness
describing it as if it was a croquet mallet hitting a
ball.”

The barrister claimed that even when the victim
slumped helplessly to the ground, that was “not good
enough” for the teenage defendants.

“More hits with the broomstick followed until finally
a person stepped in.”

Then, as the badly injured Mr Abdelmouttalib lay
bleeding on the pavement, one of his assailants
grabbed a mobile phone from his hand and fled with the
others.

“A police officer saw the group ... running away
without a care in the world. And they were laughing,”
Mr Perian alleged.

He told the jury that despite the “ferocity of the
strikes” their alleged victim was conscious when an
ambulance crew arrived and was able to describe
briefly what had happened.

But he quickly deteriorated and was taken to London’s
Middlesex Hospital where X-rays revealed a number of
skull fractures.

“There were areas of brain contusions and there was
bleeding inside. In short, he received significant
brain injuries and there is evidence that swelling
actually caused his brain to shift,” said counsel.

Shortly afterwards he was transferred to Charing Cross
Hospital for emergency surgery.

Mr Perian said the graduate – who had recently arrived
in London to add a PhD to his Edinburgh University
masters degree in manufacturing engineering – remained
in a serious condition.

“From the time of the incident on June 18 this year to
August 25, he needed a tracheotomy to breath.

“And up until that time, he was still being fed by
tubes ... He has no eyesight and a prognosis about
four weeks ago was that it would get no better.

“He remains bed-bound or he requires a wheelchair and
needs assistance to be lifted out to go anywhere, even
to the toilet.

“It is unlikely he will walk again and regain his
complete independence.

“Neither will you hear from him because he is not fit
to give evidence,” counsel added.

The defendants, all from north London, deny one count
of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

None of them can be identified for legal reasons.






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