Three men cleared of attempted murder over alleged Dudley attack
Three men accused of attacking a man with baseball bat have been cleared of attempted murder by a jury.
Kasim Ali, aged 20, and two 17-year-old boys, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were accused of attempting to murder 37-year-old father Tariq Mahmood.
They were also accused of attacking his 19-year-old stepson Ajmal Choudhary outside the pair's Dudley home in August last year.
Mr Mahmood with left with serious injuries from the incident, later requiring part of his skull to be removed.
Mr Choudhary was also left injured.
Following a two-week trial, a jury found Ali, of Aston Road, Dudley, and one of the teenagers not guilty on three charges - attempted murder, causing grievous bodily harm with intent, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
The other teenager was found not guilty of attempted murder and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
After further deliberation, the jury found the teenager not guilty of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, but guilty of the lesser charge of causing grievous bodily harm.
He is due to be sentenced on June 5.
During the trial the court heard there had been a dispute between Mr Choudhary and one of the youths on social media website Instagram a couple of weeks before.
Jurors were told how Mr Mahmood's wife, Shabana Choudhary, had invited the defendants to her home after they had pulled up alongside her in a Vectra outside the Spar shop in Buffery Road and asked where her son was.
When they reached the house, Mr Mahmood went inside to get his stepson, thinking the visitors were friends, before Ali was heard to say 'get the machete' and was seen with a samurai sword, it was claimed in court.
Prosecutor Mr Robert Price had told the court one of the teenagers, armed with a baseball bat, then got out of the car and swung it in the direction of Mr Choudhary, as his stepfather tried to intervene.
The court was told that Ali started to punch Mr Choudhary while the youth with the bat repeatedly struck Mr Mahmood to the upper body.
It was also claimed Ali was in possession with a knife which looked like a samurai sword.
In defence, Ali, said he had been attacked by Mr Choudhary when he visited the house in Hillcrest Road.
He said he was forced to put his arms up to prevent himself being hit before pinning his assailant against a wall.
