Our Expertise
St Pauls Chambers provides legal services throughout the UK and worldwide. We are known for providing excellence in our areas of focus.
As a leading barristers chambers in Leeds, our expertise span the depth and breadth of a number of key areas of law.
Our People
St Pauls Chambers have an excellent team of Barristers, Clerks & Administration, with our barristers including KC’s, Members and Pupils.
View our teams in full detail, or browse by expertise to find a barrister.
December 2013 – Nigel Edwards QC defended men accused of attacking machete victim in Middlesbrough.
Allegations were made against Nawzadi Haidari in a murder bid trial after he said he was struck with the blade of a machete on 4th June 2013. Sirious Alizadeh and two other men denied attempted murder in the trial at Teesside Crown Court, with the defence saying Mr Alizadeh was falsely accused as an “easier target” than the true attacker.
Mr Haidari told how Mr Alizadeh said, “Come forward, I will kill you”, before confronting him with the machete. Mr Haidari said he tried to defend himself with a snooker cue from his car but three of his fingers and one of his elbows were cut before his head was struck, fracturing his skull.
Both men accuse the other of shouting, swearing and agreeing to fight when their cars met nearby Waterloo Road that same day. Mr Haidari gave evidence through a Kurdish Sorani interpreter, saying “I didn’t want to fight him”.
After the encounter on Waterloo Road, Mr Haidari said he warned his brother to avoid Mr Alizadeh and drove to Victoria Road having heard of an incident there. He said he saw his brother and Mr Alizadeh arguing – Alizadeh holding a pair of scissors in a barbers’ shop and being prevented from coming out. Mr Haidari told the jury he saw Mr Alizadeh on the phone and that a black BMW pulled up. He said a passenger carrying two machetes got out and handed one to Mr Alizadeh.
Nigel Edwards QC, defending Mr Alizadeh, said he was never armed, struck no blows and did not try to hit or harm Mr Haidari. Mr Edwards asked Mr Haidari if he and his brother or friends were in fact the carriers of the machetes, to which Mr Haidari replied: “No.”
Mr Edwards asked “Is Mr Alizadeh the easier target to lay blame?” after claiming another man, with whom the Haidari family had fallen out, argued with him and assaulted him. Haidari said the other man wasn’t there. Mr Edwards said Mr Haidari thought of himself as a “hardman” and was part of a group which tried to intimidate people and had numerous enemies. Mr Haidari denied these claims.
Mr Edwards said Mr Haidari decided to find Mr Alizadeh and beat him up, with a group of five to seven boxing him in and threatening to kill him. He said 30 to 50 people gathered in the street tried to stop Mr Haidari from hitting Mr Alizadeh in the face and head with a pool cue. Mr Haidari denied all of the Mr Edward’s allegations as “not true”.
Alizadeh, of Aire Street, Middlesbrough; Elyassi, of Westbury Street, Thornaby; and Abedi, of Pannell Avenue, Whinney Banks, Middlesbrough, were cleared of all charges.
Chambers is centrally located within walking distance of the train station, secure car parks and the Courts.
St Pauls Chambers
Park Row House
19-20 Park Row
Leeds
LS1 5JF
For out of hours assistance please call the senior clerk on 07854170429.
The switchboard will open from 08:30 until 17:30
Phone: +44 (0)1132 455 866
Email: [email protected]
CJSM: [email protected]
