Three men jailed after a barber shop brawl in Portslade. Four others acquitted. Weapons and prior tensions involved.
Sarbast Ibrahimi, 25, sparked the violence. This “appalling” scene happened on Station Road. He got two years and nine months in jail. Emma Armstrong helped Ibrahimi during the fight. She was shopping with her kids at the time of the incident.
Ibrahimi suffered a long cut on his arm. His other injuries seemed blade-related. People didn’t find any sharp weapons after the incident. Emma Armstrong got an award for her actions. Another person got an award too. This unnamed witness filmed the event.
The video helped the jury during the trial. Sardam Qadir, 31, got two years in jail as well. Ayob Mohammed, 21, received an 18-month sentence. He ran K Gentleman Barber in Hove.
All three men possessed weapons. Those included wood planks and metal bars. They got six extra months for the weapons. Ryan Evans said Qadir and Ibrahimi traveled to Portslade. This happened on the day of the violent event. Qadir claimed he was going fishing that day.
Prosecutors argued they planned the violence together. The court learned all three had troubled pasts. They came from Kurdish Iraq to Britain. The men might be able to rehabilitate.
Judge Mooney strongly condemned the violence. He said the violence was among the worst he had seen. Shoppers and families witnessed the awful scene. Young children were at the location. He stated Ibrahimi initiated the fight. He felt Ibrahimi’s violence was hard to watch.