A MAN who travelled to Pakistan to look after his father after he was shot in the face has been jailed for 28 days for breaching his suspended sentence.

Nobeel Naveed left the UK to care for his seriously injured father, who lost the sight in his right eye, in October last year whilst more than half through his sentence for a dangerous driving conviction.

The 28-year-old returned to Middlesbrough in March and was arrested at his home after calling police to hand himself in after an arrest warrant was issued after he went off the Probation Service’s radar.

Uzma Khan, prosecuting, told Teesside Crown Court how Naveed was given a nine month sentence, suspended for 18 months in December 2108 for a case of dangerous driving.

Miss Khan said the order expired on June 13 but Naveed had only completed 102 hours of his 180 hours unpaid work element by October last year when he left the country.

She added: “In October 2019, he has failed to attend one of his appointments and when the Probation Service tried to contact him, his sister said he had travelled to Pakistan as his father was unwell.

“She was unable to provide any evidence of this and an arrest warrant was issued. The warrant was executed in May this year when he returned to the country.

“His father had been shot whilst out in Pakistan and he immediately gone out to see to him while he was critical and in ill health.

“For the breach of this order, due to the exceptional circumstances of this case that your honour may step away from activating the suspended sentence order and impose a financial penalty.”

Naveed, of Abingdon Road, Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to breaching his suspended sentence by failing to complete his unpaid work hours.

Paul Abrahams, for the defendant, confirmed that Naveed had only left the country to care for his father.

“His father was injured and has since lost the sight in his right eye," he said. "The defendant went to Pakistan and accepts hat he should have told the Probation Service but didn't.

"He came back in March, he wasn't arrested at the border but after taking legal advice he was told to hand himself in, which he tried to do.

"He rang the police to tell them where he was and they went to his house and arrested him at the property."

Mr Abrahams said Naveed was remanded in custody from May 26 until June 9 when he was released on bail – a total of 15 days.

Judge Stephen Ashurst jailed him for 28 days and expected the defendant to immediately released from custody after serving the equivalent on remand.

He said: "You have not committed any further offences but you left the UK to attend to a family emergency when part of your unpaid work had not been completed.

"I bear in mind that you had completed just over 100 hours of what I had imposed."