Teen involved in Hove barber brawl thought he would die

Two men were left in a critical condition with one stabbed in the altercation, which broke out in Boundary Road, Portslade, and involved wooden planks, scissors and a wheel brace.

Brighton Crown Court heard the violence erupted on the afternoon of April 2 when a group from K Barbers, Boundary Road, Hove, and a group from HB Barbers, Station Road, Portslade, clashed in the street.

Seven men are on trial over the incident.

Kosar Banaee, of Elm Grove, Ali Husseini, 19, of Dyke Road, Ayob Mohammed, 20, of Western Road, Brighton, are charged with violent disorder.

The area was cordoned off (Image: The Argus/Andrew Gardner) Sardam Qadir, 30 of Blacksail Walk, Oldham, is charged with violent disorder and possession of an offensive weapon.

Kozheen Banaee, 23, of Montpelier Road has been charged with violent disorder, possession of an offensive weapon and grievous bodily harm with intent.

Hogr Banaee, 23, of Roman Road in Hove, is charged with violent disorder and possession of an offensive weapon.

Sarbast Ibrahimi, 25, of Somerhill Avenue, Hove, has been charged with violent disorder and possession of an offensive weapon.

The men deny all the charges.

Kosar Banaee told the court, sitting at Brighton Magistrates Court, that he feared for his life during the brawl.

The 19-year-old, who came to the UK from Iraq in 2021, said he had gone to visit his brother Hogr at HB Barbers but that Hogr was not at work.

He went to buy cigarettes at a nearby shop where he was told Hogr, who owns the barber shop in Station Road, had been “attacked”.

Kosar, who spoke through an interpreter, met with Hogr, his other brother Kozheen and his best friend Husseini where he was told a group from nearby K Barbers had “threatened” him and spat and swore at him.

“They asked him why he set up his business here,” said Kosar.

Kosar, who told the court he had mobility issues due to a problem with his legs, said he had not had any previous dealings with Mohammed, Qadir or Ibrahimi but that he had heard they were not happy that his brother had opened a shop near them.

He said Kozheen was trying to calm Hogr down, who felt “insulted” and “disrespected”.

They went for a cigarette near the shop, Kosar said, when he saw a group from the other barber shop coming towards them.

He said Qadir had a wooden plank and Mohammed had a pair of scissors in his hand.

Kosar said he grabbed another piece of wood from near a skip to defend himself but said he did not use it.

“He came with that piece of wood and attacked me,” Kosar said.

Jurors were shown footage of the moment the fight erupted near HB Barbers on the corner of Franklin Street.

Mohammed could be seen on the ground with Kozheen on top and Kosar standing over the grappling pair.

“I was confused and scared because my brother was on the floor, his jacket torn,” said Kosar.

“His head was bleeding.

“I did not know how to help my brother.”

Emergency services descended on the area following the incident (Image: The Argus/Andrew Gardner) He then said he was approached by Ibrahimi who also had a plank of wood.

“Ibrahimi came,” said Kosar.

“He was hitting my brother Kozheen on his head.

“I was scared I wanted to take the wood from him and get him away.

“In order to not hurt anyone else.

“I was also worried about myself.”

He said Ibrahimi pushed him and he fell to the ground.

He said Ibrahimi had scissors in his hand.

“After the piece of wood slipped from his hand I saw a pair of scissors in his hand and after that he tried to attack me with the scissors,” Kosar told the court.

“I was in fear that that would be the end of my life.

“I would be dead.”

Kosar said Mohammed then tried to hit him with a metal bar and he ran away.

Orlando Gibbons, defending Mohammed, suggested to Kosar that his client did not try to hit him and did not have scissors in his hand.

“You are lying about that,” he said.

“Mohammed did not have scissors in his hand.”

“He had scissors I saw it,” Kosar replied.

Mr Gibbons said Kosar had lied to police in his interview following the clash.

He said the first lie was Kosar saying he had arrived in the street after the fighting had already started and that there were seven people attacking his brother.

Mr Gibbons said Kosar had also not told the police he picked up a plank of wood during the fight.

Kosar said he was “confused”, “scared” and was worried about his brothers. He denied lying deliberately to the police.

“Even during the fight I was not sure how many people were involved,” said Kosar.

He was then asked by Jonathan Ray, representing Ibrahimi, whether he saw his brother Kozheen hit Mohammed over the head.

Kosar said he did not see.

Mr Ray also asked Kosar if he saw Kozheen with a crowbar and a knife at one point, if he saw Husseini holding a screwdriver and if he saw Hogr with a metal torch and knife at one point.

Kosar said he did not.

A plank of wood being taken away by forensics (Image: The Argus/Andrew Gardner)“I was confused and I had been attacked myself so was not aware of what was going on,” said Kosar.

“You did not see Mr Ibrahimi with any scissors did you?” said Mr Ray.

“I was confused I might have mixed up things I could not remember things clearly,” said Kosar.

Mr Ray said Kosar kicked Ibrahimi and punched him.

“You rained punch after punch on Mr Ibrahimi didn’t you?” said Mr Ray.

“I was trying to take the piece of wood from him because earlier he had been hitting my brother’s head,” said Kosar.

Mr Ray suggested Kosar saw Kozheen attack Ibrahimi with a knife.

Kosar said he did not but said: “If Kozheen had not come I might not be here today because the way he was attacking me was like he was trying to kill me.”

Mr Ray suggested Kosar got a call from one of his brothers before he went to the barber shop and that he went “deliberately knowing there would be violence”.

Kosar denied this.

“You went to assist your brother Hogr to have a fight, didn’t you?” said Mr Ray.

“And you, amongst others, were an aggressor weren’t you?”

Kosar denied both suggestions.

The trial continues.