Friday 13 November 2009

Hertfordshire Constabulary Publishes New Press Relase on Mehdi Zand's Prison Sentence


Here it is verbatim below. You can also click on the image above to see the actual article on the Hertfordshire Constabulary website.

November 1, 2009

THREE MEN GIVEN COMBINED SENTENCE OF 11 YEARS FOR ASSAULT AND VIOLENT DISORDER
By Corporate Communication Dept

THREE men who threatened and assaulted restaurateurs in Rickmansworth over a long-standing dispute involving the restaurant and a religious movement, were sentenced at St Albans Crown Court on Friday 25 September.

Mehdi Zand (pictured), aged 48, from Tower Hill in Chipperfield, Kings Langley, was sentenced after pleading guilty on 15 July to violent disorder.

Francesco Zand, aged 36, from Tower Hill in Chipperfield, Kings Langley, was sentenced after pleading guilty on Wednesday July 15 to grievous bodily harm with intent and attempted grievous bodily harm with intent.

Mohammed Kashefi, aged 48, from Tower Hill in Chipperfield, Kings Langley, was sentenced after pleading guilty on Wednesday July 15 to actual bodily harm.

On Tuesday 11 November last year at about 5pm the trio forced their way into the Blue Fire restaurant on Uxbridge Road in Rickmansworth. The restaurant was locked and shut at the time.

They made threats against the two men in the restaurant over ownership of the business and the pair’s disassociation with a religious movement – The World of Yaad – of which Mehdi Zand is the leader.

During the incident one of the victims, a man from the Rickmansworth area, was injured by Francesco Zand. The man received considerable injuries to his face and has since undergone facial reconstruction.

The second victim, a man from North London, received minor injuries from Francesco Zand and Kashefi. He was also severely shaken by the incident.

Mehdi Zand was given a two-year prison sentence.

Francesco Zand was given a seven-year prison sentence.

Kashefi was given a two-year prison sentence.

Detective Sergeant Kevin Brown said: “This was a violent targeted attack on two individuals over both the ownership of the restaurant and simply because of the injured parties’ disassociation with Mehdi Zand’s movement.

“This attack was an extreme reaction to the situation and has had long term psychological and physical effects on the victims.

“The verdicts reflect that behaviour of this kind will simply not be tolerated in Hertfordshire.

“Should individuals attempt to take matters into their own hands to resolve disputes with violence, the consequences will be severe and harsh. You will very likely be given a custodial sentence.”