A MAN previously convicted of a terror offence has been jailed after running over an Irishman's head in a disgusting act of road rage.

Shahid Ali, 43, drove over Patrick Colbert's head and body in his Mercedes in Balsall Heath, Birmingham on July 11, 2017.

Ali, who dumped his car in the aftermath of the incident, was acquitted of attempting to murder Mr Colbert but was convicted of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

He had already admitted to causing serious injury by dangerous driving at Birmingham Crown Court

Mr Colbert, an Irish national, was seriously injured in the attack and may never walk again.


It has now emerged that Ali, of Washwood Heath, Birmingham, had a previous conviction for assisting in acts of terrorism.

He was jailed for 27 months in 2009 after sending four loads of equipment between 2004 and 2006 to Pakistan to be used against British soldiers and their allies in Afghanistan.

Regarding his latest offence, Ali was told by Judge Paul Farrer QC: "You have been convicted of a very serious offence by the jury, one which will inevitably carry many years of imprisonment.

Sentencing Ali to 12 years in prison, Judge Farrer added: “You were angry and I have no doubt that you shouted and swore at Mr Colbert, in effect telling him to get out of the road.”

Birmingham Crown Court heard previously that Ali's Irish victim had come to the city to celebrate his 35th birthday.


He had approached a car to speak with its driver on Brighton Road, Moseley, which was busy at the time.

Ali was behind the wheel of a nearby Mercedes and believed the victim was responsible for the traffic jam.

The court heard that he drove up alongside Mr Colbert, wound down his window and shouted at him.

The defendant then deliberately turned hard right, knocking Mr Colbert over and causing him to hit his head on the ground.

Then, in a disgusting escalation that was caught on camera by a passing motorcycist, Ali proceeded to drive over the Irishman's groin, chest and head.

He then sped off from the scene and later dumped his car.

The motorcyclist who captured the incident on her GoPro camera told the court that she "couldn't believe" what she had witnessed.


Zoe McCarthy, 23, a student at Oxford Brookes university, said: "It happened so quickly.[Mr Colbert] was standing in the street and talking to a driver through the window of his car.

"The man in the Mercedes behind was impatient and started shouting. He reversed and drove over him.

"It was shocking. I couldn't believe it was happening. The car just drove off while the man lay in the street."

In a heartbreaking statement read to the court, Mr Colbert revealed he now struggles to say some words, has problems with his memory and may never be able to walk again.

He said he has to wear a special hat whenever he leaves the house to protect his skull - which makes him feel embarrassed - and added that he suffers from very bad headaches.

Mr Colbert said he was undecided as to whether to undergo an operation to have a plate fitted to his skull because of the dangers of such a procedure.

Ali, of Bromford Lane, Washwood Heath, was sentenced to 12 years in prison for causing grievous bodily harm with intent.