A plasterer who carried out a vicious assault on a property developer has avoided an immediate prison sentence. Lewis Hayde, 28, from Cardiff, admitted racially aggravated grievous bodily harm after attacking Rebwar Rashidi, 39, following a dispute over payment for work deemed substandard.
The attack took place on February 25 at a property in Robert Street, Cathays. Mr Rashidi had filmed the plastering work and sent the footage to Hayde, warning he would post it on Facebook to expose the alleged deficiencies. The developer later told police he had never really intended to do this.
Attack Caught on Video
Within moments of receiving the message, Hayde arrived and stormed towards Mr Rashidi. Judge Carl Harrison described how Hayde came within inches of the victim's face, shouting, "Where's my money? I want it now you little c***." He then headbutted Mr Rashidi, knocking him to the ground and rendering him briefly unconscious.
When the victim regained consciousness, the attack continued. Hayde punched him to the head 10 times, using both fists. Mr Rashidi described being punched so hard he thought he was going to die. The attack left him with a broken jaw, swelling to his left eye, and double vision, which prevented him from driving or working for around two weeks and caused lost earnings of £2,000.
Court Hearing and Sentence
Hayde, of Blackbirds Way in Old St Mellons, was arrested after police found a video on his phone showing him assaulting the victim. The footage also revealed he had been accompanied by another person carrying a pool cue, though no charges were brought against that individual.
His solicitor, Derrick Gooden, told the court that Hayde had lost his home to a fire shortly before the incident and was experiencing financial pressures, which he dealt with "in the wrong way". Mr Gooden said his client believed he had carried out the work to the same standard as previous jobs for the same developer. He added that Hayde was ashamed of what he said but accepted it was racist and would have been perceived as racist by the complainant.
The judge noted some "victim-blaming" in Hayde's interview with the probation service but accepted he was "thoroughly ashamed" by his behaviour during a "stressful time" in his life. Hayde, who has no previous convictions and earns £800 a week after tax, was given a two-year jail term suspended for two years. He was also ordered to pay £5,720 in compensation for the injuries and £2,000 for lost earnings, to be paid within three years.
Concluding the hearing, Judge Harrison told Hayde: "You've come as close as you can come to prison."
