Three Asian men who carried out an ‘honour attack’ on the boyfriend of one of their sisters have all avoided prison terms.
Kasim Ali, 25, and his cousins Adeel Ali, 20, and Razi Khalid, 18, targeted Aquib Baig because their family did not approve of him seeing their sister, a court was told. They rammed his car before chasing him into a corner store in Blackburn, Lancashire, where they kicked and beat him in front of horrified shoppers.
Despite a judge condemning the violence, the trio were this week spared jail for their attack on Mr Baig, which took place on April 13. Sentencing them at Preston Crown Court Sessions House, Recorder Julian Shaw told them: ‘There is no place for any religious or honour based violence.
‘It’s abhorrent, it’s against your religion, it’s unlawful. I have had to see the violence perpetrated.
‘Mercifully, perhaps more by luck than judgement, the victim didn’t sustain more serious injuries. ‘He was attacked by all three of you together at the same time despite attempts by member of the public to break it up and despite the perception that he offered no violence towards you at all.’