JAILED: Uncle swung crook lock after nephew's car crash

Yaseen Akhtar, 39, had been alerted by his nephew who was involved in the crash, a judge was told.

The defendant went to the location at the junction of Old Birchills and Hollyhedge Lane in Walsall, arriving shortly before midnight on August 9 last year, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard.

A crowd of around 15 people had already gathered with people shouting and swearing at each other, said Mr Christopher O'Gorman, prosecuting.

Akhtar intervened in an attempt to end the row, which included several members of his extended family, by swinging a crook lock he claimed to have collected from one of the vehicles.

Then a marked police car on its way to an unconnected incident saw what was going on and went to sort out the disorder, maintained the prosecutor.

'The geezer was arguing with me'

Mr O'Gorman explained: "The officers saw him swinging something that looked like a metal bat but when told to put it down he did so and explained 'the geezer was arguing with me.'

"He explained that the only reason he had the crook lock was that it had been one of the objects removed from a car involved in the accident."

Akhtar said in a statement: "I was waving it around but was not using it to threaten anyone in particular although I can understand people feeling intimidated."

Mr Devon Small, defending, insisted: "He was called to the scene by his nephew who was involved kin the accident.

"When he got there a number of people - most of them members of his family - were already involved in a heated argument. At no stage did he intend to hit anyone.

"One of the police officers later reported there was large scale disorder in the street and the defendant was 'aimlessly' waving the crook lock towards the crowd. He was told to put it down and did.

"The police calmed things down and those involved went home. No one was injured and it was all over comparatively quickly."

Akhtar from Pargeter Street, Walsall, whose previous convictions included offences of violence, admitted affray and possession of an offensive weapon and was jailed by Judge Rhona Campbell.

She said he had not taken the matter seriously because members of his family were involved and declared: "You have to appreciate legislation and criminal behaviour is the same whether you do or do not know those involved.

"You don't have a free ticket to respond as you wish to people from your own family."