Review ordered into brutal attack sentencing
A man who brutally attacked a Dudley Council litter warden will have his “unduly lenient” sentence reviewed after the highest legal officer in the United Kingdom intervened.
Raja Malik attacked the officer working on behalf of the council in August last year, breaking a stick over his back.
Malik was charged with assault and racially aggravated assault and a second man, Mohammed Nawaz was charged with assault and using an offensive weapon.
Malik was given a nine months prison term suspended for two years, whilst Nawaz was given six months suspended for one year, at Wolverhampton Crown Court on May 21.
But Dudley Council chief executive Kevin O’Keefe wrote to the Attorney General last month, seeking a review of the sentence for both men.
In the letter, the incident was branded an “unprovoked racially motivated and physical attack.”
The Attorney General has now ordered Malik’s case be sent to the Court of Appeal where it will be reviewed by the three independent High Court Judges to decide if the original sentence was unduly lenient or not. Nawaz’s sentence will remain in place.
Councillor Patrick Harley, leader of Dudley Council, said:
This is good news and sends out a message that we will stand by and do everything we can to ensure that our officers are given as much protection by the law as possible, while they go about their duties.
We felt that the original sentence was unduly lenient and had to act in the best interests of our staff.
We will watch with interest and hope that justice will be served in this matter which will have caused a great deal of distress to this council officer.