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'Confused' deaf man's bite caused GBH to wife's mother (From Watford Observer)
A 34-year-old deaf man accused of deliberately biting his mother-in-law's thumb so hard she needed four operations said he was the victim of an attack.
Ashfaq Shah, 34, of Barclay Close, Watford, claimed he was assaulted by Robina Kuesar, his wife's mother and her husband, after taking to the witness box today.
Shah is deaf and through Urdu sign language interpreters told St Albans Crown Court he bit down on the woman's thumb after the couple attacked him in his own home on September 3, 2007.
During questions from Neelim Sultan, defending, Shah said he had not intended to cause the serious injury to Mrs Kuesar.
He said: “I was confused. I was being slapped and punches were raining down on me.”
Under cross examination by Cameron Crowe, prosecuting, Shah gave often confused answers about what happened after his parents-in-law entered his home to remonstrate with him.
What the argument was about was not revealed to the jury, but Mr Crowe put it to Shah that he was “angry about being told off in his own home”.
Mr Crowe said: “They wanted to tell you off for doing something wrong, and they did.
“They told you a dispute had arisen in the family because of something you had done.
Shah replied: “What dispute?”
Mr Crowe said: “What dispute doesn't matter. What matters is they were talking to you about it and what they were saying was putting you in a bad mood wasn't it?”
Shah said: “No.”
Mr Crowe said: “You bit the thumb very, very hard didn't you?
“It takes a lot of force to bite through the skin of the thumb and you bit it for more than 30 seconds.”
Shah said: “It was making me choke. That's why I bit down. It all happened very fast. My father-in-law and mother-in-law were on top of me.”
Mr Crow concluded before breaking for lunch: “You were the attacker on September 3.
“You lost your temper and attacked your parents-in-law, didn't you?”
“No,” replied the defendant.
Shah denies GBH. The trial continues.
A 34-year-old deaf man accused of deliberately biting his mother-in-law's thumb so hard she needed four operations said he was the victim of an attack.
Ashfaq Shah, 34, of Barclay Close, Watford, claimed he was assaulted by Robina Kuesar, his wife's mother and her husband, after taking to the witness box today.
Shah is deaf and through Urdu sign language interpreters told St Albans Crown Court he bit down on the woman's thumb after the couple attacked him in his own home on September 3, 2007.
During questions from Neelim Sultan, defending, Shah said he had not intended to cause the serious injury to Mrs Kuesar.
He said: “I was confused. I was being slapped and punches were raining down on me.”
Under cross examination by Cameron Crowe, prosecuting, Shah gave often confused answers about what happened after his parents-in-law entered his home to remonstrate with him.
What the argument was about was not revealed to the jury, but Mr Crowe put it to Shah that he was “angry about being told off in his own home”.
Mr Crowe said: “They wanted to tell you off for doing something wrong, and they did.
“They told you a dispute had arisen in the family because of something you had done.
Shah replied: “What dispute?”
Mr Crowe said: “What dispute doesn't matter. What matters is they were talking to you about it and what they were saying was putting you in a bad mood wasn't it?”
Shah said: “No.”
Mr Crowe said: “You bit the thumb very, very hard didn't you?
“It takes a lot of force to bite through the skin of the thumb and you bit it for more than 30 seconds.”
Shah said: “It was making me choke. That's why I bit down. It all happened very fast. My father-in-law and mother-in-law were on top of me.”
Mr Crow concluded before breaking for lunch: “You were the attacker on September 3.
“You lost your temper and attacked your parents-in-law, didn't you?”
“No,” replied the defendant.
Shah denies GBH. The trial continues.
