A man has been jailed for drug offences and for violent assaults which took place in a Romford flat.

Mohammad Mahaboob, of Turpin Avenue, Collier Row, was given a five-and-a-half year sentence at Chemsford Crown Court on Tuesday, May 4.

The 20-year-old had admitted two counts of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs, two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and one count of possessing criminal property at the same court on Monday, January 4.

In September 2020, Mahaboob used the promise of £100 to £120 a day in return for selling drugs in Essex to recruit a man he would go on to violently assault.

The victim, who took on the work to fund his own drugs habit, was not paid - so he took some of the drugs without telling Mahaboob.

Having learned of his losses, Mahaboob violently assaulted him in a Romford flat. He punched and kicked him in the face and body for an hour.

On a second visit to the property, the victim had a razor blade held against his throat and was made to lie on the floor, where he was then stamped on, punched and kicked.

On a third occasion, he was punched, cut in the face with a razor blade, and hit twice in the chest with an antique clothes iron.

The victim, aged in his 30s, contacted police in November and officers took him straight to hospital for treatment.

Mahaboob was then arrested in the Melbourne area of Chelmsford on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of drugs.

While in custody he was found to have drugs on him, with further evidence seized from his Turpin Avenue home.

About £3,000 in cash was also seized at another address linked to him in Stratford.

Det Sgt James Pamment said: “Mahaboob had fantasised about being a hardened criminal in the drug dealing world.

“He bragged about robbing other drug dealers and boasted about his violent behaviour whilst making large quantities of cash.

“The reality was that his lifestyle consisted of a lonely existence in a basic flat and he bullied and abused a vulnerable person.

“This case highlights the complexities behind how and why people become involved in drug dealing and the levels of violence they are exposed to.

“I hope Mahaboob will now reflect on his actions and whether this is the type of life he wants to lead in the future."