Man jailed for 28 years for street dumbbell attack

A man has been jailed for 28 years for carrying out a "ferocious and sustained" attack on a former friend who he beat 31 times on the head with a metal dumbbell bar.

Abdusalam Hassan caused his victim severe brain injuries in a sustained assault and then left him lying in Burton Road, Derby, as cars swerved around him.

Hassan, 27, had denied attempted murder but was convicted after a trial in April.

A sentencing hearing at Chesterfield Magistrates Court on Monday heard his victim had been left in constant pain and will need lifelong care as a result of his injuries.

Judge Jonathan Bennett said the attack took place on 2 October 2024, four months after Hassan had himself been assaulted.

Mr Bennett said the defendant believed his victim had been one of two men who had attacked him and "was determined to seek revenge" after seeing him in a supermarket.

The court heard Hassan returned to his flat, in Burton Road, armed himself with the dumbbell bar, then lay in wait for his victim outside, knowing he would pass by.

"You hit him with the metal bar, with force, once from behind, and he fell to the ground," the judge said.

"Then you hit him using the weapon in excess of 30 times.

"After a short period, there was no more movement from him but nevertheless the assault continued.

"He was on the ground throughout. He was defenceless."

Hassan delivered "precise, well-aimed" blows to the side of his victim's skull, the judge added, before lifting his head up and dropping it into the gutter.

"You left him there," Mr Bennett said. "And calmly walked into your flat."

The court heard a number of passers-by came to the victim's aid and he only survived his life-threatening injuries due to emergency surgery.

He suffered multiple skull and facial fractures and long-term psychological harm.

He was unable to write his own victim statement but a carer said he would lie awake at night "confused and terrified", fearing the perpetrator would return to "finish the job off".

The court heard the victim had been left "confused, distressed and scared" with significant pain and although he cannot remember the attack, he suffers flashbacks of the night he was attacked.

In addition, he has been left dizzy and unstable in his movement and has been warned a fall could prove fatal, meaning he cannot leave his house without a care worker.

Damage to his teeth has meant he can only eat liquid foods.

The court heard he had been unable to continue working, had been left socially isolated and believed his existence was pointless.

The judge told Hassan, an asylum seeker from Ethiopia, he would serve two-thirds of the 28-year sentence before being considered for parole.

He would then serve a further four years on licence but would be liable for deportation upon his release.

Hassan had pleaded guilty to possession of a weapon for which he was given a six-month concurrent sentence.

He also admitted a charge of wounding, which will lie on file.

The judge praised the carers who are supporting the victim and also ordered three passers-by who helped him after the attack be paid £500 from public funds and given High Sheriff's awards.

Follow BBC Derby on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected] or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210.