Blackburn brothers 'took joy from life' of innocent kidnap victim

Faisal Fareed, 23, Faizaan Fareed, 26, and Nicholas Shaw, 45, were jailed for 11 years, 10 years and six years respectively after they kidnapped Diyar Mohammed in Darwen last June.

The incident was a terrifying case of mistaken identity - a botched attempt to infiltrate and steal a cannabis farm to satisfy and feed the Fareed’s gangster lifestyle, which involved drug dealing and an obsession with dangerous weapons.

Faisal Fareed (Image: Lancs Police)

During the sentencing hearing at Preston Crown Court, Mr Mohammed’s victim impact statement was read out in full, documenting the distressing ordeal the innocent takeaway worker was subjected to at the hands of these brutal, callous criminals.

Mr Mohammed bravely attended court on Monday, where members of the public and the defendants themselves were able to hear how he still suffers flashbacks, how the Fareeds have “taken his mental health and the joy from his life” and essentially “broken him”.

The hard-working, respectful Iraqi is a shadow of his former self no thanks to the actions of the Blackburn brothers and their associates, and in his statement, he also describes how he now has a “hiding corner in his living room” – a place he can go to “curl up and feel safe”.

READ MORE: Drug-dealing Blackburn brothers kidnapped and tortured man

Reading Mr Mohammed’s statement, prosecuting barrister Bob Elias said: “I have lived in this country for 21 years. I have always felt safe in Blackburn and Darwen, I never thought you had to hide if you were not doing anything wrong.

“I am respectful, I enjoyed life, going out, seeing friends. I found pleasure in life and was always smiling.

“That day changed me. They took everything away from me. I now see a psychologist…if it wasn't for her I would not want to be here.

“The physical wounds have healed but the scars are a daily reminder about what happened. There are holes everywhere.

“When I first came out of hospital I could not walk and breathing was so painful. Due to having stab wounds all over my body, I could not get comfy to sleep at night I felt paralysed.

“I struggled to get up and down stairs and even the simplest tasks left me exhausted. I still have physical pain in both sides, but I cannot bear going to the doctors as they will ask me questions about this incident.

Faizaan Fareed (Image: Lancs Police)

“They went through my pockets, took my personal items, I asked them to let me out so that I could get to hospital, but they didn't, instead they left me in my car bleeding. I feel they left me to die. The attack is constantly on my mind, I cannot escape the reminders.

“I get horrific flashbacks where my heart is thumping and I am sweating, it has left me with anxiety and depression. Every few hours I am reminded, it has turned my life upside down.

“If I go out, I am on edge wondering if the people I pass or come close to me are the suspects.

“It is a battle every day to go to work, I used to have two jobs, I used to be a chef and I was working towards managing and running the pizza place but now I don't have it in me to direct people and only go in for a few hours.

“It has had a financial impact on me. I always wonder about new customers who come into the shop, some ask where I am from, and I am sarcastic and say China.

“This has made me give everyone a second look, do they know, have they heard, is this one of the men or is it one of their family?

“It has been over a year, and I cannot bear to get my hair cut again. They ask about the scars on my head, it is the simplest things that I should be allowed to do but it has been taken away.

“When I do go out and come home as soon as I get out of my car I am reminded of that night and the sudden terror I felt. It's like a hanging…when will it happen, will it be now, tomorrow, or next week.

“How could they think I was a drug dealer? Will they come back or will their family come?

“They have taken my mental health and the joy from my life. I have been hiding from people, so I don't have to think or talk about it.

“At home, I have a hiding corner in my living room with blankets where I can curl up and feel safe.

“I assumed people were attacked if they were involved in something and this sort of thing never really happened, but it does happen and it happened to me.

“I have become jumpier as the trial approaches. My self-belief is minus I cannot understand how I will get up from there, I feel like I will never be myself again.

“I feel a complete disinterest in life and it's a horrible life to live in.

Nicholas Shaw (Image: Lancs Police)

“I often wonder how a human being can be so nasty, but then I think they cannot actually be human beings; how can they have that life?

“If you work hard, you can have the best life in this country, how do these people not see the opportunities available to them?

“I was brought up to work hard and respect people, I am a good man, I did not deserve what those men did to me, and I do not deserve to feel this way now. They have broken me.”

No person should have to endure the horrors Mr Mohammed experienced, but hopefully, with the sentences passed on Monday, he can finally begin to rebuild his life.

Two more men alleged to have been involved in the kidnapping are to stand trial at a later date.