A plasterer carried out a vicious assault on a property developer who had refused to pay him following “substandard” work. Lewis Hayde, 28, filmed himself racially abusing and headbutting the 39-year-old victim, Rebwar Rashidi, as well as punching him to the head 10 times and breaking his jaw.
Judge Carl Harrison said the self-employed tradesman, from Cardiff, had done plastering for Mr Rashidi on two previous projects. On those occasions the developer had been happy with his work.
However, Mr Rashidi was not satisfied with the quality of Hayde’s work on a property he was renovating in Robert Street, Cathays.
“He was refusing to pay you in full unless you completed the work to the necessary standard,” Judge Harrison told Hayde during the sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court.
Hayde sent messages demanding payment but the developer stood firm. The dispute culminated on February 25 when Mr Rashidi went to the property in Robert Street and took a video of the plastering work that Hayde had carried out.
The court heard Mr Rashidi sent the footage to Hayde and warned he would be posting it on Facebook to expose the alleged deficiencies in the plasterer’s work. Later the developer told police he had never really intended to do this.
“Within moments of the message, you turned up and stormed towards Mr Rashidi,” said the judge. “You came within inches of his face, shouting, ‘Where’s my money? I want it now you little c***.’
“He again told you the job was not finished so you would not be paid. You then headbutted him to the centre part of his nose, which was extremely painful and knocked him to the ground, briefly rendering him unconscious.
“When he came around he was dazed and weak. He got to his feet and the attack continued. You punched him to the head 10 times, using both fists. He described you punching him so hard he thought he was going to die.
“He tried to protect his head but you were too powerful. This was a man who had only just regained consciousness having been knocked out by the initial headbutt.”
Hayde was shouting at the victim: “Look at you. I told you what I’d do.”
The attack left Mr Rashidi with a broken jaw as well as swelling to his left eye and double vision. This “transient eye injury” meant he was unable to drive or work for around two weeks, causing lost earnings of £2,000, the court heard.
He reported the attack to police and officers arrested Hayde, on whose phone they found a video the plasterer had taken of himself assaulting the victim.
Hayde, of Blackbirds Way in Old St Mellons, pleaded guilty to racially aggravated GBH (grievous bodily harm). The racial element was identified because the footage showed him aiming a racist slur at Mr Rashidi during the attack.
The video also showed Hayde had been accompanied at the Robert Street property by another person, who appeared to be carrying a pool cue but had not faced any charges.
Hayde’s solicitor Derrick Gooden told the court his client had lost his home to a fire shortly before the incident. He was experiencing financial pressures and dealt with them “in the wrong way”, said Mr Gooden.
“In his view, he had carried out the work to the same standard as previous jobs for the same developer.
“He is ashamed of what he said but he has to accept it was racist and would have been perceived as racist by the complainant. Let’s face it, he’s the person who filmed it. It’s his own evidence that has forced him to enter a guilty plea.”
Mr Gooden said the defendant had no previous convictions and continues to work as a plasterer, employing “a number of individuals”. He earns £800 a week after tax, the court heard.
Judge Harrison took into account that there had been some “victim-blaming” from Hayde in his interview with the probation service. But he also accepted the defendant was “thoroughly ashamed” by his behaviour during a “stressful time” in his life.
The judge imposed a two-year jail term suspended for two years. He also ordered Hayde to pay compensation of £5,720 for the injuries and £2,000 for the lost earnings. It must be paid within three years.
Before concluding the hearing, the judge told Hayde: “You’ve come as close as you can come to prison.”
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