The court heard how the violence stemmed from a dispute that Talhat, who had held the esteemed religious role in the Rotherham area for more than two decades, had with one of the complainants, relating to a bullying allegation.
In the hours before the disorder erupted on February 21, 2021, Talhat was involved in a physical altercation with the first complainant in a Rotherham shop, but it was quickly brought to an end after staff intervened, the court heard.
Judge Peter Hampton said Talhat subsequently set about ‘recruiting family members to embark on a shocking piece of violence’.
Two hours on from the shop scrap, Talhat, Muhammad Uwais and Mohammed Basharat Ali descended on the street where the first complainant lived, in the Herringthorpe area of the town.
After the first complainant and a member of his ‘faction’ - the second complainant - came out onto the street, violence quickly broke out - all while a child was present inside the first complainant’s home.
Around four minutes after the arrival of the other defendants, Ahmed, Hamza, Mohammed Tabarak and Wakaas arrived in a separate car, and began to join the violence, which was captured on CCTV taken from the street.
“The violence was pre-planned, it was organised, it was serious group violence involving the use of weapons.
“It incorporated serious assaults on the streets of Rotherham.”
