Family row ends with two men jailed for assault

The pair were each sentenced to nine years in prison at Cambridge Crown Court on Friday after being found guilty of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm on December 15 last year at the same court.

Ali Mohammed Tobeiji, 61, and Zackaria Sherrief, 59, were cleared of a charge of attempted murder in relation to the assault on a 31-year-old Saudi Arabian man in East Road, in June last year.

The court heard how police were flagged down by members of the public at about 1.15am on June 16 after they found the victim lying in the road bleeding.

He had a number of stab wounds and was taken to Addenbrooke’s Hospital with life-threatening injuries, but he has since fully recovered.

The jury was told that Tobeiji, of Selbourne Road, and his family had moved to the UK from Saudi Arabia in 2014 for work and to better their education.

Tobeiji claimed the victim was going to kidnap his daughter and grandson and take them back to Saudi Arabia.

Sherrief, of Copenhagen Close, and a third man, Ahmed Omar Abdi Mohammed, 24, travelled with Tobeiji from their homes in Luton to ‘mediate’ with the victim on the night of the incident.

Abdi Mohammed, of Dallow Road, Luton, was also cleared of attempted murder but convicted of violent disorder. He was sentenced to 15 months years in prison, suspended for two years.

Detective Inspector Andrea Warren said: “This is a particularly sad case as it comes down to a family disagreement.

“The sentences passed last week reflect the seriousness of this type of crime – we will not tolerate violence and will seek to prosecute and bring offenders to justice.

“I hope that Mr Tobeiji and his co-defendants will learn from this and understand that behaviour of this kind is not acceptable.”

Three other men, two aged 27 and one aged 24, were also arrested in connection with the attempted murder, however they were released with no further action.