Man guilty of attempted murder after dumbbell attack
Abdusalam Hassan, 27, launched the "sustained and brutal attack" after spotting the man at a shop close to his home in Burton Road, Derby, on 2 October 2024, Derbyshire Police said.
His victim underwent emergency surgery and was left needing "significant care" to live at home after one side of his body was left paralysed, the force added.
After admitting the attack but denying attempted murder, a jury found Hassan guilty of the offence at Derby Crown Court on Thursday.
Police said Hassan had returned home to arm himself with the dumbbell before laying in wait for his victim.
As the man turned into Abbey Street, Hassan hit him on the back of the head and continued to hit him after he fell to the floor.
The force said the motive for the attack was believed to have been that Hassan was previously assaulted by two men - one of them named as his victim.
A criminal investigation into that incident was ongoing at the time of attack in October and was continuing with no charges made yet, police added.
The force said Hassan's victim's brain injuries were so severe it was believed he would die.
Det Insp Tony Owen said it was through the work of emergency services, hospital staff and "sheer luck" that the man did not die, but added his life had been "utterly changed" by the attack.
He said: "The incident was caught on CCTV and is among the worst footage that I have seen.
"Hassan's victim was utterly defenceless after the first blow and the sustained nature of the attack, combined with the viciousness of the force used, left no doubt that he meant to kill his victim."
Det Insp Owen described Hassan has a "dangerous individual who showed absolutely no contrition for his actions or concern for his victim".
Hassan was remanded into custody and is due to be sentenced on 7 July.
Follow BBC Derby on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210.
Man to face trial after denying attempted murder
HM Courts & Tribunals Service
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
John Torode confirms he is man accused of racism in Gregg Wallace report
MasterChef presenter John Torode has confirmed he is the subject of an allegation of using racist language that was upheld as part of a review into the behaviour of co-presenter Gregg Wallace. The report, commissioned by MasterChef production company Banijay UK and led by law firm Lewis Silkin, found 45 out of 83 allegations against Wallace were substantiated, alongside two standalone allegations made against other people, including one for using racist language. In a post on Instagram, Torode confirmed he was the person alleged to have used racist language but said he had 'no recollection of the incident' and was 'shocked and saddened' by the allegation. His statement said: 'Following publication of the Executive Summary of the investigation into Gregg Wallace while working on MasterChef, I am aware of speculation that I am one of the two other individuals against whom an allegation has been upheld. 'For the sake of transparency, I confirm that I am the individual who is alleged to have used racial language on one occasion. The allegation is that I did so sometime in 2018 or 2019, in a social situation, and that the person I was speaking with did not believe that it was intended in a malicious way and that I apologised immediately afterwards. READ MORE: Welsh star of 28 Years Later tipped to be Hollywood's 'next big thing' READ MORE: Jeremy Clarkson's new advert banned from all TV, radio and cinemas 'I have absolutely no recollection of any of this, and I do not believe that it happened. However, I want to be clear that I've always had the view that any racial language is wholly unacceptable in any environment. I'm shocked and saddened by the allegation as I would never wish to cause anyone any offence.' Reports in The Sun said Torode had been asked to leave the show and claim he had mental health issues following the allegation. A BBC insider said they do not recognise this. It comes after Wallace said he was 'deeply sorry for any distress caused' and that he 'never set out to harm or humiliate' in the wake of the report, which included one allegation of 'unwelcome physical contact' that was upheld. In November 2024, the show's production company, Banijay UK, announced that Wallace, 60, would step away from his role on MasterChef while historical allegations of misconduct were investigated. In a statement to the PA news agency, he said: 'For eight months, my family and I have lived under a cloud. Trial by media, fuelled by rumour and clickbait. None of the serious allegations against me were upheld. I challenged the remaining issue of unwanted touching but have had to accept a difference in perception, and I am deeply sorry for any distress caused. It was never intended.' The report found that the 'majority of the allegations against Mr Wallace (94%) related to behaviour which is said to have occurred between 2005 and 2018', with only one allegation substantiated after 2018. It also concluded that the 'majority of the substantiated allegations against Mr Wallace related to inappropriate sexual language and humour', adding that 'a smaller number of allegations of other inappropriate language and being in a state of undress were also substantiated'. The report noted that during the course of the investigation, which was over a seven-month period, Wallace was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, and said that the findings should be viewed in the context of his neurodiversity. In his statement, Wallace added: 'I'm relieved that the Banijay report fully recognises that my behaviour changed profoundly in 2018. Some of my humour and language missed the mark. I never set out to harm or humiliate. I always tried to bring warmth and support to MasterChef, on screen and off. 'After nearly 20 years on the show, I now see that certain patterns, shaped by traits I've only recently begun to understand, may have been misread. I also accept that more could have been done, by others and by myself, to address concerns earlier. 'A late autism diagnosis has helped me understand how I communicate and how I'm perceived. I'm still learning.' He praised the show's production company, Banijay, saying they had 'given me great support, and I thank them'. The former greengrocer added: 'There will be more casualties if the BBC continues down this path, where protecting its legacy matters more than protecting people. For my part, with full legal support, I will consider my next move.' Banijay UK said that 'Wallace's return to MasterChef (is) untenable' following the number of sustained allegations. Patrick Holland, chief executive of Banijay UK, said that while the report 'makes for uncomfortable reading', it also provided 'valuable insight to ensure that going forward everyone working on our productions feels safe and supported, and that inappropriate behaviour is quickly and professionally dealt with'. The BBC also said it has 'informed' Wallace that it has 'no plans to work with him in future', adding in a statement: 'This behaviour falls below the values of the BBC and the expectations we have for anyone who works with or for us. Although the full extent of these issues were not known at the relevant time, opportunities were missed to address this behaviour, both by the production companies running MasterChef and the BBC. We accept more could and should have been done sooner.' The BBC also addressed the future of a series of MasterChef filmed last year which has not yet been aired, saying it had not made a final decision on broadcasting it. Last year, a BBC News investigation revealed a string of allegations of inappropriate sexual comments and alleged inappropriate behaviour against Wallace by 13 people who worked with him across a range of shows over a 17-year period, including former Newsnight host Kirsty Wark. A statement from Wallace's lawyers at the time said that it 'is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature', as reported by BBC News. Ahead of the official publishing of the external review, Wallace claimed in an Instagram post on July 8, which appears to have been taken down, that he had been cleared of the 'most serious and sensational accusations' against him.
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Meta shareholders aim to haul CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Sheryl Sandberg to court
Mark Zuckerberg is slated to make yet another high-stakes courtroom appearance this week as shareholders seek to hold him accountable for the more than $8 billion that Meta has spent to settle lawsuits over privacy violations. The trial, set to begin Wednesday in Delaware's Court of Chancery, aims to hold Zuckerberg, former Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg and other former executives personally liable for the billions the company spent to resolve allegations that it failed to safeguard user data. Shareholders argue that Zuckerberg, Sandberg and former VP Konstantinos Papamiltiadis violated their fiduciary duties by 'intentionally' failing to ensure compliance with a 2012 Federal Trade Commission consent order requiring the firm then known as Facebook to protect user privacy. 4 Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to take the witness stand in a Delaware courtroom later this week. AFP via Getty Images That failure, they say, enabled the Cambridge Analytica scandal — a notorious breach that saw data from tens of millions of Facebook users improperly harvested for political profiling. Meta is not a named defendant in the suit and declined to comment on the case. Attorneys for the defendants did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday evening. The case is a shareholder derivative lawsuit, a type of legal action that allows investors to sue company executives or board members on behalf of the company itself. In these cases, shareholders argue that corporate insiders failed in their fiduciary duties and caused harm to the company—financial or otherwise—that management has failed to address. In April, Zuckerberg was questioned by the Federal Trade Commission about internal communications surrounding Facebook's acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp. Meta is facing regulatory scrutiny for allegedly abusing its monopolistic power to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace. 4 Former Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg is also named in a lawsuit brought by company shareholders. Getty Images The trial in Delaware will further probe Meta's handling of user privacy with a focus on the company's knowledge and decision-making in the run-up to the Cambridge Analytica breach. The case has drawn in a number of other prominent figures from the tech and business world who are either current or former members of Meta's board of directors. Both sides are seeking testimony from billionaire venture capitalist Marc Andreessen. Shareholders also want Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings to testify. Former PayPal executive Peter Thiel, former Biden White House chief of staff Jeff Zients and eBay CFO Peggy Alford are on the witness list as well, either for in-person testimony or recorded depositions. Hastings, Thiel and Zients are no longer on Meta's board of directors. According to the shareholders' complaint, the defendants failed to act on multiple 'red flags' prior to the scandal. The case highlights the company's 2019 decision to settle with the FTC for $5 billion after it was accused of violating the 2012 consent order. 4 Former Facebook Vice President Konstantinos Papamiltiadis is another executive accused of violating his fiduciary duty. Bloomberg via Getty Images That settlement, the shareholders argue, was approved by a board that disregarded evidence of noncompliance. In its 2012 consent decree, the FTC ordered Facebook to give users 'clear and prominent notice' and obtain 'their express consent' before sharing information beyond their privacy settings. At the time of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Facebook allowed third-party apps not only to collect data from users but also from those users' friends — without their direct knowledge or consent. In early 2018, Facebook acknowledged that Cambridge Analytica had improperly obtained data from tens of millions of users. The final estimate was that up to 87 million individuals were affected. Zuckerberg later issued a public apology, stating the platform had 'a responsibility to protect your data.' The fallout was global. In 2019, the FTC announced a then-record $5 billion fine against Facebook as part of a settlement over violations of the consent order. 4 The shareholder lawsuit stems from the $8 billion that Meta has paid out to resolve claims that it failed to safeguard user data. REUTERS A separate investigation by the British parliament concluded that had Facebook taken its obligations seriously under the 2012 consent decree, the Cambridge Analytica breach might have been prevented. Shareholders cite that conclusion in their pretrial filings. In their defense, attorneys for Zuckerberg and the other executives claim there is no evidence of wrongdoing. 'This evidence, and much more like it, negates plaintiffs' pleaded portrait of a company indifferent to compliance,' the defense wrote in a recent court filing. Every week, Post columnist Miranda Devine sits down for exclusive and candid conversations with the most influential disruptors in Washington. Subscribe here! The lawsuit has been years in the making. Two years ago, efforts to have the case dismissed failed. At the time, Vice Chancellor Travis Laster, the judge overseeing the case, remarked that 'this is a case involving alleged wrongdoing on a truly colossal scale.' The current non-jury trial will be presided over by Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick. McCormick is best known for repeatedly striking down Elon Musk's $55 billion Tesla compensation package. Her rulings have led to discontent in the tech and business world over Delaware's handling of corporate governance cases. In the aftermath, several major firms — among them Andreessen Horowitz, Roblox, Dropbox and Bill Ackman's Pershing Square Capital Management — have either left Delaware or announced plans to reincorporate elsewhere. The Post has sought comment from Meta, Sandberg, Andreessen, Hastings, Thiel, Zients, Alford and Papamiltiadis.
Chicago Tribune
an hour ago
- Chicago Tribune
Commissioner Jim Biggs doesn't show at council meeting as controversy continues over dispatch
Porter County Commissioner Jim Biggs was placed on the agenda to speak at Monday's Chesterton Town Council meeting, but didn't show to the disappointment of council members. Chesterton town council members said that Biggs twice was publicly invited in particular to discuss his statements about the Chesterton/Porter joint dispatch center after the June 18 officer-involved shooting in front of the Hilton Inn on Gateway Boulevard. Joseph P. Gerber, 45, died from a self-inflicted wound after exchanging several gunshots with two Chesterton police officers, wounding one of them. But Biggs said in a statement issued to the Post-Tribune that he 'was never formally invited through email, phone call, or written letter to attend this meeting.' 'Furthermore, no town official has approached me with an invitation to attend this meeting. It was only through a newspaper article, and a Facebook post did I learn that I had been added to the agenda. Lastly, it does our public and the concern for officer safety an injustice to attend and be subjected to more petty personal attacks in order to deflect from the real issue at hand,' Biggs said. Council President Sharon Darnell, D-4th, said that she and Councilwoman Erin Collins, D-2nd, had attended a news conference Biggs held on July 1 and spoke to him afterward. She said that Biggs stated his most pointed issue was to be able to discuss 'freely and openly' the county E911 center and the Chesterton/Porter joint dispatch. 'I am not a person who likes to meet anywhere but in a public forum,' Darnell said. 'Maybe we'll figure something else out, but that's the only way we're going to figure this whole thing out. We're not going to do it in a closed room.' Collins said that Biggs was invited twice by the council to appear. 'I think it was an opportunity for Commissioner Biggs to address the very people that he was elected to represent and serve. His absence tonight is a disservice to them and to the spirit of transparency and accountability in local government,' Collins said. Biggs lives in Chesterton and is the commissioner who represents northern Porter County. He is the president of that board. Collins said that at some point, the town and the county should have a meeting. 'They must take place in public. Not behind closed doors, not through political press conferences and certainly not by exploiting a tragedy to advance a narrative.' Collins said. Collins said the council stands firm in its call for the resignation of Debby Gunn as the E-911 administrator 'for repeated unprofessional conduct and false and misleading public statements.' Gunn contended there was a nearly five-minute delay in the request for an ambulance to the officer, an allegation that was staunchly denied by the town of Chesterton. On the morning of the shooting, Biggs contacted the Post-Tribune and noted that it was time for the Chesterton/Porter dispatch to join the county's E-911 system and that an increase in the county law enforcement tax was needed to cover it. Councilman James Ton, R-1st, said that Chesterton adheres to the standards of the Shared Ethics Advisory Commission and should a meeting occur, the town is committed to 'civility and transparency'. 'I haven't witnessed this in some discussions of this in the past,' Ton said. Biggs, in his statement to the Post-Tribune Monday, said as a resident, some might have the same questions about why Chesterton and Porter would continue to want to have a separate dispatch center. The commissioner listed several questions which included: why in a police emergency is a caller required to speak to two different dispatchers in two location; if the E911 center handles all medical and fire calls, aren't they good enough to handle police calls; if the E911 center is good enough to dispatch police for every other municipality, why isn't it good enough for Chesterton and Porter; and do the residents receive any money outside of Chesterton and Porter taxpayers' dollars to fund the separate dispatch center. 'If the residents of Chesterton and Porter have more questions concerning this issue, I, as their commissioner, would be happy to facilitate a forum of non-biased public safety officials to provide answers,' Biggs said. 'It is true that Chesterton and Porter are under no obligation to consolidate now or ever. This is also true from the county's perspective. As things now stand, this will continue to be the financial responsibility and public safety liability for the governing bodies and law enforcement leadership of both towns.' Chesterton Police Chief Tim Richardson said he did receive an email from Gunn two days ago, asking if he and Porter Police Chief Dan Dickey would want to sit down with her to speak about how to make the operation between the two dispatch centers more efficient. Richardson said that if the meeting occurs, he wants to have his council liaison, who is Ton, attend. Jennifer Klug, a Porter resident, said that she believes the towns should keep their joint dispatch center. 'I don't appreciate Mr. Biggs or Ms. Gunn saying some of the things they did in public. I think that it's not only unprofessional, but I think in a situation like that, people have to stand together and work on something,' Klug said.
