Mustafa Bashir at Manchester Crown Court. He has been jailed for 18 months

A Pakistani cricketer has been jailed two weeks after he was sentenced because he 'fundamentally misled' a judge, by telling him he would miss out on a professional contract if he was locked up.

Mustafa Bashir, 33, was given a suspended sentence at Manchester Crown Court on March 22 for assaulting wife Fakhara Karim, claiming Leicestershire County Cricket Club were offering him a contract.

Judge Richard Mansell QC said the sentence would be suspended because his wife was 'not a vulnerable person' and noted that he had employment prospects.

The judge was told at the time that if Bashir was 'about to sign the contract' when he was arrested for beating his wife, but a week later the club told the CPS the claim was 'wholly untrue'.

Bashir had produced a letter, purportedly from his agent, to back his claim.

Judge Mansell, was widely criticised for saying the victim was 'not vulnerable' ordered Bashir's sentence to be reviewed at Manchester Crown Court when he heard the claim was not true.

Today he sentenced him to 18 months in prison, saying he had misled the court and there was not a 'shred of evidence' to back the claim of the contract.

The cricketer's barrister said the player 'wasn't listening' because he was too emotional and did not mean to mislead the court.

But Judge Mansell rejected the claim, and invoked the sentence immediately.

At Friday's hearing, Bashir denied telling probation officers or his lawyers that he had a job offer to play professional cricket and instead it was suggested there had been a 'series of misunderstandings'.

He had, in fact, only played as a semi-professional in the Bolton Cricket League and on two occasions had net session practice with Leicestershire - who denied any knowledge of him.

His lawyers claimed he would lose the offer a professional contract with Leicestershire Cricket Club, but the club later stated they had made no such offer to him

The judge told him he had deliberately misled the court, though the cricketer attempted to claim there was a series of misunderstandings before the lawyers made the claims

Judge Mansell had asked Bashir to produce evidence of any job offer but said the defendant had produced only a 'handful of emails' and 'not a shred of evidence' to support his claims.

Imposing the new sentence, the judge told him: 'You were clearly making a claim to the court you had a career in professional cricket ahead of you which was false.

'You made that quite clearly in the hope you would avoid a prison sentence.

'There's not a shred of evidence you were ever chosen to play for Leicestershire County Cricket Club, let alone you had received any offer of a full time contract.

'The evidence that gives the lie to your explanation advanced by you today is a letter that was submitted to the court on your behalf by your solicitors from a man named Abid Riaz, said to be a sports agent with the Pro Elite Sports Agency in Bolton.

'He wrote that he had been your agent for several years and that you had played cricket for Pakistan at Under 19's. Unlike the Probation Officer, it is hard to see how an experienced Pakistani cricket agent could have made such an error.

'I am altering my sentence because I was fundamentally misled by you as to your personal circumstances. The sentence on each count on the indictment is therefore an immediate term of imprisonment of 18 months concurrent on each count.'

He also warned the cricketer that he could face further charges after lying to the court.

The judge added: 'You may well face investigation into whether you have committed quite separate offences of perverting the course of justice.'

Bashir was also given a restraining order not to approach his wife.

JUDGE MANSELL'S COMMENTS: THEN AND NOW Judge Mansell was criticised for his comments on the victim THEN: 'I am not convinced she was a vulnerable person. Sometimes women who moved her from their country become trapped in a relationship where they lose their support network of family and friends and cannot speak the language. 'This is not the case. She is plainly an intelligent woman with a network of friends and did go on to graduate university with a 2:1 and a masters - although this has had an ongoing affect on her. She had difficult trusting people now, especially men.' NOW: 'You were clearly making a claim to the court you had a career in professional cricket ahead of you which was false. 'You made that quite clearly in the hope you would avoid a prison sentence. 'There's not a shred of evidence you were ever chosen to play for Leicestershire County Cricket Club, let alone you had received any offer of a full time contract.' Speaking about the victim, Judge Mansell said: 'The words 'particularly vulnerable due to her personal circumstances' are taken from the Sentencing Guidelines Council definitive guideline for offences of Assault, which I was bound to and did follow. 'In referring to the fact that Miss Karim was an intelligent woman, who had worked as a receptionist and studied at university, and who had a network of friends, l was simply highlighting the fact that she had a degree of independence and support that some victims, whose circumstances are different, do not.' Advertisement

Judge Mansell QC read a letter at the last hearing from Bashir's agent, Mr Abid Riaz, which read: 'He has a bright future ahead of him as he has been selected to play for Leicestershire Cricket Club'.

Now, addressing the emails, Bashir's lawyer, Bob Sastry, said: 'It is put that was was a typographical error. It should have read "Mustafa had a very bright future HAD he been selected to play for Leicestershire Cricket Club."

'I accept that his name is not on the list of those scouted for the club in 2015.'

Bashir, from Cheetham Hill, Manchester, was said to be playing at Heaton Cricket Club, Bolton, in a semi-professional capacity in 2016, and was given a suspended sentence at Manchester crown court last month after admitting assaulting his wife.

Judge Mansell QC, was heavily criticised at the end of the first sentencing by domestic abuse campaigners after he said Miss Karim was not vulnerable because she was 'an intelligent woman with a network of friends' and a university degree.

Judge Mansell QC, has addressed the court again with regards his earlier sentence, saying: 'The words 'particularly vulnerable due to her personal circumstances' are taken from the Sentencing Guidelines Council definitive guideline for offences of Assault, which I was bound to and did follow.

'Victims who are very young or old, who are physically or mentally disabled, and female victims who are pregnant, are all to be treated as particularly vulnerable.

'In referring to the fact that Miss Karim was an intelligent woman, who had worked as a receptionist and studied at university, and who had a network of friends, l was simply highlighting the fact that she had a degree of independence and support that some victims, whose circumstances are different, do not.

'I was doing no more and no less in accordance with the sentencing guidelines, that she was not particularly vulnerable as compared with other victims whose personal circumstances are different.

'She was, however, plainly vulnerable. She was vulnerable before the assaults started, because of the controlling behaviour of the defendant, which had distanced her from her family and friends, and which had undermined her confidence.

'She was vulnerable after the assaults due to the ongoing psychological effects on her of the defendant's violence.

'I am concerned that the misreporting and misunderstanding of my remarks may have given Miss Karim the impression that I did not believe her account as to the effect these offences have had on her, that I did not consider her to be vulnerable.'

The sentencing council has told the MailOnline that guidelines are being reviewed at the moment, to reflect current terminology. Domestic violence is likely to be known as domestic abuse to reflect a psychological, financial and emotional abuse.

New guidelines will also have more emphasis on the abuse happening in a domestic context, rather than current guidelines which say offences committed in a domestic context should be seen as no less serious than those in a non-domestic context.

Bashir was said to have beaten his wife with a cricket bat and forced her to drink bleach.

He was previously given an 18-month sentence, suspended for two years, after admitting assault occasioning actual bodily harm, assault by beating, destroying or damaging property and using a destructive substance with intent to maim.

In March 22 court proceedings, Judge Mansell said his wife, the victim, was 'not vulnerable'.

He told Bashir: 'This relationship started well but you began controlling her and how she spent her money.

Bashir was sent to prison immediately after he was found to have lied about his job prospects

'You told her how to spend her money and you tried to turn her against her family who you regularly insulted. She would buy clothes that were of a western style which you disapproved of and called her a slag and said her friends were 'English slag girls'.

'But I am not convinced she was a vulnerable person. Sometimes women who moved her from their country become trapped in a relationship where they lose their support network of family and friends and cannot speak the language.

'This is not the case. She is plainly an intelligent woman with a network of friends and did go on to graduate university with a 2:1 and a masters - although this has had an ongoing affect on her. She had difficult trusting people now, especially men.'

Miss Karim told of how she had been fearing for her life before she went to police to report her husband.

She told the BBC: 'I am a confident and strong woman because of what I have suffered. I was suffering for my life but the judge didn't believe me.'

During his case, his lawyers claimed in mitigation he would lose the offer of a professional contract to play cricket with Leicestershire.

The club later contacted the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to deny any such offer.

SENTENCING GUIDELINES ON VULNERABLE VICTIMS Judges must consider how vulnerable a victim was when they sentence an offender for their crime. Sentencing council guidelines, which are under review, state: For cultural, religious, language, financial or any other reasons, some victims of domestic violence may be more vulnerable than others, not least because these issues may make it almost impossible for the victim to leave a violent relationship.

Age, disability or the fact that the victim was pregnant or had recently given birth at the time of the offence may make a victim particularly vulnerable. The CPS guidelines on a vulnerable victim include: Those who were under the age of 18 at the time of the offence

Those who suffer from a mental health disorder as defined by the 1983 act

Those who have impairment of social or intelligent functioning

Those with physical disabilities However sentencing council notes admit that there is disagreement between judges about what a vulnerable victim is. They are currently under review to make them 'less prescriptive'. Advertisement

Leicestershire Cricket Club re-iterated their insistence the club had never spoken to Bashir or an agent, nor offered a contract to the player. They accused him of 'inventing' the offer of place in the squad to get out of jail.

Chief Executive, Wasim Khan, said: 'Leicestershire CCC are appalled that Bashir could have invented a job offer from the club in order, it would seem, to evade a prison sentence.

'The club are actively involved in the fight against domestic abuse and had already arranged a 'Bowling Out Domestic Violence' cricket match in September in support of the White Ribbon Campaign, set up to tackle domestic violence.

'So Bashir's claim was deeply disturbing for the club and we will continue to do what we can to support the authorities bring about justice.'

A spokesman for the club added: 'After Monday's widely reported claim by Mustafa Bashir in his plea of mitigation following his conviction of actual bodily harm against his wife, that he had been offered a playing contract by Leicestershire County Cricket Club, the club have taken immediate steps to bring to the attention of the authorities that Bashir's claim was wholly false.

'The club's legal advisers emailed a letter to Bashir's legal team reiterating that the club had never spoken or had any contact with Bashir or offered him a job.'

The court heard there had been emails between Bashir and Leicestershire in 2014 and 2015 about net practice, but Lloyd Tennant, the scout for the club, could not remember seeing the defendant.

And Mr Tennant said he only scouted new players aged 16 to 24 - Bashir was 31 at the time.

CPS guidance on sentencing states a sentence can be reviewed under the 'slip rule' of section 155 Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000.

It gives courts the power to alter a sentence or other order made by the judge within 56 days of the date on which it was made.

One reason for altering the sentence is that further information relevant to the sentence has become available to the court.

Speaking after the March 22 ruling came to light, Sandra Horley CBE, chief executive of the domestic abuse charity Refuge, said: 'Judge Mansell's comments - that he was not convinced of the victim's 'vulnerability' - show a shocking ignorance around the impact of domestic violence on women.

'What a woman does for a job, her level of education or the number of friends she has makes no difference; for any woman, domestic violence is a devastating crime that has severe and long-lasting impacts.'