A MAN has avoided jail after hitting his neighbour in the head with a vacuum pole.

Rafik Mohammed, 53, was sentenced at Reading Crown Court on Monday (August 14) after admitting to one count of inflicting grievous body harm without intent and one count of affray.

The historic incident, described as a ‘neighbour dispute’ by the prosecuting barrister, occurred on September 7, 2019, when Mohammed’s neighbour’s children kicked a ball towards his car.

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He remonstrated them before his neighbour, Kallum Warwick, arrived home and grabbed a fire extinguisher from his car and the pair started fighting in the street.

Mohammed, of Liverpool Road, Reading, was handed a 12-month community order from Judge Hassan Khan, who accepted the offence was carried out in an act of self-defence.

The court heard that there had been a history of dispute between the pair before the incident in late 2019 with Mr Warwick also having been charged with one count of affray.

Mohammed had remonstrated the children for kicking a ball near his car and kicked it back towards them. However, Mr Warwick’s partner called him and asked him to come home while this was happening.

Mr Warwick appeared in the street quickly and pulled a fire extinguisher out from the boot of his car.

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Mohammed then left his house with the vacuum pole and the two engaged in ‘physical violence’, ‘pulling and pushing’ each other and ‘punching each other’.

The incident was caught on CCTV which was reviewed by Judge Khan prior to sentencing.

Mr Warwick suffered a fracture to his face from being hit with the vacuum pole.

Defending Mohammed, his barrister explained that he had called the police about Mr Warwick numerous times, alleging that Mr Warwick had damaged his car and ‘threatened to stab him, his wife and blow his house up’.

He stated he was living in a ‘state of hyper-vigilance’ due to the disagreements between the pair which he claimed also included his family being called ‘appalling racial slurs’.

Sentencing Mohammed, Judge Khan accepted that it was an act of self-defence and stated that his own deteriorating health was a mitigating factor.

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Another mitigating factor was the health of his 22-year-old son who is bedbound following a lung collapse and relies on the care of Mohammed and his partner who are his registered carers.

As a result, Judge Khan handed Mohammed a 12-month community as well as an order to complete 25 rehabilitation activity days.