APPEAL COURT OVERTURNS CONVICTION AND SUSPENDED SENTENCE; PAKISTANI NATIONAL SET FREE

The Court found the allegations against Mr. Fahad insufficiently established, set aside his conviction and suspended sentence, and ordered a £2,460 penalty against the complainant.

By Alan Brickman · 2026-07-18

Full story

LONDON, UK — The Court, having carefully considered the grounds of appeal, the judgment and sentence previously imposed by the Crown court, together with the communications placed before it and the evidence and submissions advanced by both the prosecution and the defendant, undertook a comprehensive review of the conviction and suspended sentence imposed upon Mr. Fahad.

Following that review, the Court reached a number of findings concerning the circumstances that gave rise to the proceedings and the evidence relied upon against Mr. Fahad.

The Court found that the complainant had presented herself as a child experiencing domestic violence and had approached Mr. Fahad seeking assistance. However, Mr. Fahad declined to provide the assistance requested.

The Court further found that, following that refusal, the complainant directed racist and abusive remarks towards Mr. Fahad, to which he subsequently responded.

While the Court made clear that it did not condone the slang or language used by Mr. Fahad, it concluded that the remarks must be considered within the proper context in which they were made.

Having reconsidered the evidence and surrounding circumstances, the Court determined that the language used by Mr. Fahad did not amount to, nor was it tantamount to, the offences for which he had previously been charged.

Conviction and Sentence Set Aside

The Court concluded that the allegations against Mr. Fahad had not been sufficiently established on the evidence before it.

As a result, the Court set aside the conviction and suspended sentence previously imposed by the lower court. The allegations against Mr. Fahad were dismissed, and the proceedings against him were formally brought to an end.

The Court also acknowledged the considerable hardship and distress Mr. Fahad had experienced throughout the proceedings. In its decision, the Court expressed its sincere regret for the difficulties and burden he had endured during the legal process.

Court Raises Concerns Over Complainant's Age

The Court additionally found that the complainant had concealed her true age. It considered this conduct to be a serious matter, particularly because her age was material to the circumstances that had resulted in the proceedings being brought.

In light of these findings, the Court ordered the complainant to pay a financial penalty of £2,460, with the sum to be paid on or before 30 July.

The Court further stated that failure to pay the ordered amount within the prescribed period could result in additional financial consequences or enforcement measures, to the extent permitted by law and as may subsequently be determined by the Court.