Man jailed for attempted murder to appeal ‘because he was hungover’
Simon Taj got 14 years for attacking a white van man with a wrench in 2016 - and claims he only did it because a booze-induced psychosis made him think the driver was a jihadi
A MAN jailed for trying to kill a driver he suspected was a jihadi is to appeal, claiming his hangover made him “psychotic”.
Simon Taj got 14 years for attacking white van man Mohammed Awan with a wrench in 2016.
But a top judge has allowed his appeal on the grounds his hangover-induced “temporary insanity” made him believe his actions were justified.
Taj, 33, flipped after seeing smoke coming from Mr Awan’s broken-down van near Westminster Bridge.
He left the removals man with injuries including a fractured skull and eye socket.
But doctors at Taj’s trial for attempted murder refused to back his insanity claims, leading to the judge withdrawing self-defence as an option for the jury.
Yesterday, the Appeal Court heard Taj, of Finsbury Park, North London, had been drinking “extensively” the day before the attack despite an acute sensitivity to alcohol.
His barrister Trevor Siddle said “a type of psychosis” could materialise some time later.
Judge Sir Brian Leveson said Taj “knew perfectly well” he was at risk of paranoid delusions if he drank. He said people should not be acquitted of crimes due to a “self-induced psychiatric disorder”.
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But granting permission for a full appeal, Sir Brian said there were “issues that clearly go beyond what was put before the jury” concerning the insanity and self-defence pleas.
A panel of five senior judges will decide if self-defence is open to a person who uses what they believe is justified force based on a delusion.