Riot hero father guilty of attack (From Thurrock Gazette)
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Riot hero father guilty of attack
12:42pm Thursday 5th April 2012 in National News © Press Association 2013
Tariq Jahan has been convicted of grievous bodily harm in a roadside attack
A bereaved father who publicly appealed for calm hours after his son was killed in last summer's riots has been convicted of a roadside attack after kicking and punching a factory worker he accused of staring at his wife.
Tariq Jahan, 46, was found guilty of inflicting grievous bodily harm following a three-day trial at Birmingham Crown Court.
Jurors heard he grabbed 34-year-old Sajjid Ali by the throat before punching him to the ground after the pair got into an argument in Handsworth, Birmingham, on July 6 last year.
The attack happened a month before Jahan won national acclaim for an impassioned appeal for peace after his 21-year-old son Haroon was killed during disorder in the Winson Green area of Birmingham.
The jury of seven men and five women took just under four hours to return a majority verdict. Jahan, who showed no visible reaction, was cleared of the more serious charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
