Cockfighting gang convicted of running brutal sport from 'blood and feather splattered' home

Five men and a 17-year-old boy have been convicted of being part of a cockfighting ring that centred around "blood and feather splattered" home in east London.

Mohammed Asab, of Water Lane, Seven Kings, was found guilty of allowing his home to be turned into a cockfighting den with people coming from as far as Coventry to watch the bouts, a court heard.

The 51-year-old was found guilty of causing an animal fight to take place, keeping and training an animal for use in connection with an animal fight, and keeping premises for use for an animal fight.

Police found evidence of cockfighting when they visited Asab's house on 2 January this year with ten cockerels, including an injured cockerel found inside a grey cat box.

Two hens, two mobile phones, equipment associated with cockfighting and a blood covered towel were seized and removed from the scene, the court heard.

Prosecutors said that the house had blood and feathers splattered across the walls, but despite the evidence, Asab denied the charges claiming that the injured bird was attacked by a fox.

He also claimed that he kept the birds to show as "champions", not for cockfighting, and he was handing a bird to Altaf Hussain, 54, who had travelled from Coventry.

In a police interview, Hussain claimed he had been at Asab's house for 45 to 50 minutes before officers arrived and was merely "talking and singing and having a chat."

Hazel Stevens, prosecuting for the RSPCA, showed a photo to the court that showed all the men at Asab's home with one man, Mehtab Ahmed, holding a cockerel statue in his hands

Ahmed denied taking part in cockfighting, despite being described as the "grandmaster", saying the nickname was given to him as he was the worst singer of the group, the court heard.

District Judge Gary Lucie said, according to the Ilford Recorder: "I accept that there had been no character explanation and I would be unable to conclude that there had been a cock fight that day."

"But there clearly was a gathering of people who have an interest in keeping fighting cockerels.

"It was of a group presenting a cockfighting trophy to a grand master cockfighter.

"The idea that you win a cockerel for being the worst singer in the room is an insult to my intelligence.

"The fact that he had them to sell as champions when he has never he has never entered them into a competition let alone won any competition."

Akhtar Hussain, 47, of Greenhill Grove, Manor Park, Mohamed Arif, 43, of Fairfield Road, Ilford; Mehtab Ahmed, 41, of Celebration Way, Chingford; and Altaf Hussain, 54, of Parkstone Road, Coventry, were all found guilty of being present at an animal fight involving cockerels.

The 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named due to legal reasons, was granted conditional discharge and a fine of £180.

The men will be sentenced at Barkingside Magistrates Court on 7 December.