Express & Star

A well-respected Wolverhampton businessman was today starting a four-and-a-half month prison sentence for a “frenzied” attack on his next door neighbour.

Noureddine ‘Dino’ Elbakkali, boss of Dino Buildings Ltd, was led from the city’s magistrates court in handcuffs after District Judge Martin Brown described the case as a as a “Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde situation”. The judge told him: “I have no doubt that you are a man with whom people like to do business. But sadly we have seen a different side of you.

“It flies in the face of you being a charming respectable man.

“You are of otherwise good character but you are very fortunate not to have faced a more serious charge because of the level of violence used.”

Elbakkali, aged 41, repeatedly head-butted, punched, 

bit and spat at former West Midlands fire station officer Michael Lay, 52, on the shared driveway of their homes in Uplands Drive, Finchfield.

The divorced father-of-two launched the horrifying, unprovoked eight-minute attack after flying into a rage when he returned home to find his estranged teenage son outside the property talking to the neighbour he had not spoken to for two years.

He was found guilty of assault last week after his claim of self defence had been dismissed as “implausible and incredible” and had been banned from returning to his home next door to his victim while a pre-sentencing report was prepared.

Mr Alastair Edie handed in a thick file of character references for his client and told the court yesterday: “These demonstrate this is a man who had an exemplary character before this spur of the moment, vicious assault. He certainly has a temper but he is no Jekyll and Hyde.

“He has pulled himself up by his boot straps and become a successful businessman. He puts into the community at least as much as he takes out and is entitled to say he has credit in the bank. He is highly thought of by colleagues and other businessmen and has already suffered considerable punishment because details of this case have tarnished his reputation.” Judge Brown told Elbakkali, whose business employs 70 people: “This was a violent, frenzied, prolonged attack during which you headbutted Mr Lay four times and bit him. You and he will have to live with the dire consequences of this because I cannot stop you returning to your house next door to his on completion of your sentence.”

Elbakkali, who received a police caution three years ago for attacking one of his workers but had no previous convictions, was jailed for 18 weeks, ordered to pay his victim £1,000 compensation and told to contribute £400 to prosecution costs. 

He left the dock to start his sentence stone-faced but waved at a weeping woman in the public gallery who was later identified as his personal assistant. She declined to comment.

Mr Lay, who now works as a part time Wolverhampton College lecturer after completing a 34-year unblemished career in the fire service, said today: “It was a completely unprovoked attack. I did not deserve what happened to me. 

“Let us hope this puts an end to all the problems with the neighbour.”