'Dangerous' Luton man who violently attacked neighbour with a wooden pole is jailed

A Luton man who violently attacked a neighbour leaving him with serious injuries has been put behind bars for nine years.

Rishi Casseeram, of Dewsbury Road, attacked the man with a wooden pole, causing serious facial fractures and substantial bruising to his back.

The victim told officers who attended the scene: “I can’t believe this. He just kept hitting me.”

A few days before the attack in June last year, the victim and Casseeram were involved in a row. On June 25, the victim returned home and saw Casseeram coming towards him in his flat. When he tried to close the door, Casseeram forced his way in.

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 Luton flat. Further investigation by police established that 35-year-old Casseeram had punched another of his neighbours in the face the day before.

You can watch the moment he was arrested in the video above.

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 in December, a jury found Casseeram guilty of inflicting grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent and assault.

At Luton Crown Court on Friday (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 and he will have to serve a further four years on license.

Detective Sergeant Bill Haigh from Bedfordshire Police said: “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.

“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.

“We will take action against violent offenders so if you have been attacked or have concerns about someone, please report it to us and help us keep our communities safe.”