Watford Observer: Cult Leader Mehdi Zand Denied Early Release for Violent Crime Against Former Students

It seems that cult leader Mehdi Zand will spend his birthday, Christmas and New Year's in prison once again as his request for early release has been denied, presumably due to the serious threat that he and his disciples still pose to those former members of his World of Yaad organization, nearly all of whom deserted the group in 2007.

The full article from the Watford Observer can be found on their website, and is also presented below for ease of reference.

26th November 2009, WATFORD OBSERVER

No early release for 'cult leader'

An alleged cult leader jailed for his role in a vicious double assault has had his bid to win early release snuffed out.

Mehdi Zand, leader of a spiritual movement called the World of Yaad, was jailed at St Albans Crown Court in September for his role in the fracas at the Blue Fire Restaurant, in Money Hill Parade, Rickmansworth.

His bid to win early release, however, was rejected by a parole board last week.

The case dates back to the afternoon of November 11 last year, when Zand and two other men burst into the restaurant to settle a bitter personal and financial dispute.

In the fracas that followed, two staff were assaulted and one seriously injured by fellow cult member Francesco Zand, who was jailed for seven years Mehdi Zand, formerly of Tower Hill, Chipperfield, and fellow defendant Mohammed Kashefi, neither of whom landed any blows in the attack, were each handed two year jail terms.

The decision to keep Zand in jail has delighted the victims of the assault, one of whom, who did not wish to be named, sent a letter to Home Secretary Alan Johnson pleading for both men to remain in jail.

The letter claimed he represented an “ongoing threat” to both him and his family, adding: “I am frightened and shocked that there has been no due consideration of the wider threat of returning an influential thought-leader back home where he preaches to his devotees, exactly as he did before we were attacked.

“Allowing Mehdi Zand back to his original environment is not only an end to his punishment but a significant danger to others.”

Kashefi will learn the fate of his appeal for parole in the coming weeks. If successful, he will be released on license and his movements monitored by an electronic tag.

Cult Leader Mehdi Zand on Cover of Gazette: "I am Your God. You Must Die..."

An article published on the front page of the Uxbridge Gazette newspaper can be found by clicking on the above image. It has also been copied below for convenience.

25 NOVEMBER 2009, UXBRIDGE GAZETTE

"I Am Your God. You must die..." - Terror of Cult's Victim

A MAN who was attacked for leaving a cult after being a member for 20 years has spoken of his ordeal for the first time.

The Rickmansworth restaurant owner, who is afraid of retribution and does not wish to be named, says he fears for his life after learning that one of his attackers could be released from prison this week.

Mehdi Zand, leader of the World of Yaad, a cult which claims to hold the secret to everlasting life, was jailed along with members Francesco Zand and Mohammed 'Javad' Kashefi for a total of 11 years, after attacking the restaurant owner and his business partner.

The victim told the Gazette how the men smashed their way into his restaurant, formerly known as Blue Fire, in Uxbridge Road, before pushing him to the floor, biting his face and calling him a traitor.

He said: "Mehdi Zand said to me, 'you have betrayed your god of 20 years', then he ordered the others to kill me. The whole experience has been deeply traumatic and I am seriously considering leaving the country to escape."

Six weeks after his attackers were sentenced, police told the victim that Mehdi Zand and Kashefi, both 48 and from Kings Langley, Hertfordshire, could be released early and placed on a curfew.

He wrote an impassioned plea to home secretary Alan Johnson, begging him to ensure they serve their full sentence.

A hearing last week ruled that Zand would not be freed early, however Kashefi could be released this week.

The 37-year-old victim is now on anti-depressants as he struggles to come to terms with the aftermath of the attack. He said: "Mehdi Zand was my martial arts master from my teens.

"I was a dedicated student but he became increasingly religious and I left after discovering abuses of his power over his religious devotees.

"He claimed partial ownership of my restaurant and used his influence over two of his hard line devotees to exact violent revenge on me. He had also been secretly brainwashing female followers and systematically sleeping with them.

"He was very charismatic and also took advantage of members financially. Some even re-mortgaged their homes to give him up to £100,000 each. He is a real crook, extremely devious and dangerous, but he paints himself as pious and holy.

"Most of the members have now chose to leave. We were naïve, easily influenced and impressionable, but we soon learned the truth."

Several former members have also contacted Inform, a charity which provides information about alternative religious movements, with their concerns about the World of Yaad and Zand's behaviour.

Have you experienced any problems with a religious cult? Email reporter Siba Matti at sibamatti@trinitysouth.co.uk

Cult Leader Mehdi Zand - New Press Release from Hertfordshire Constabulary Now Online

You can either click on the above picture for the official copy of the article or read the verbatim text below.

November 1, 2009

THREE MEN GIVEN COMBINED SENTENCE OF 11 YEARS FOR ASSAULT AND VIOLENT DISORDER

By Corporate Communication Dept

THREE men who threatened and assaulted restaurateurs in Rickmansworth over a long-standing dispute involving the restaurant and a religious movement, were sentenced at St Albans Crown Court on Friday 25 September.

Mehdi Zand (pictured), aged 48, from Tower Hill in Chipperfield, Kings Langley, was sentenced after pleading guilty on 15 July to violent disorder.

Francesco Zand, aged 36, from Tower Hill in Chipperfield, Kings Langley, was sentenced after pleading guilty on Wednesday July 15 to grievous bodily harm with intent and attempted grievous bodily harm with intent.

Mohammed Kashefi, aged 48, from Tower Hill in Chipperfield, Kings Langley, was sentenced after pleading guilty on Wednesday July 15 to actual bodily harm.

On Tuesday 11 November last year at about 5pm the trio forced their way into the Blue Fire restaurant on Uxbridge Road in Rickmansworth. The restaurant was locked and shut at the time.

They made threats against the two men in the restaurant over ownership of the business and the pair’s disassociation with a religious movement – The World of Yaad – of which Mehdi Zand is the leader.

During the incident one of the victims, a man from the Rickmansworth area, was injured by Francesco Zand. The man received considerable injuries to his face and has since undergone facial reconstruction.

The second victim, a man from North London, received minor injuries from Francesco Zand and Kashefi. He was also severely shaken by the incident.

Mehdi Zand was given a two-year prison sentence.

Francesco Zand was given a seven-year prison sentence.

Kashefi was given a two-year prison sentence.

Detective Sergeant Kevin Brown said: “This was a violent targeted attack on two individuals over both the ownership of the restaurant and simply because of the injured parties’ disassociation with Mehdi Zand’s movement.

“This attack was an extreme reaction to the situation and has had long term psychological and physical effects on the victims.

“The verdicts reflect that behaviour of this kind will simply not be tolerated in Hertfordshire.

“Should individuals attempt to take matters into their own hands to resolve disputes with violence, the consequences will be severe and harsh. You will very likely be given a custodial sentence.”

Some More Coverage of Mehdi Zand's Arrest & Prison Sentence

The Hemel Hempstead City Local site writes: "Three Men Given Combined Sentence of 11 Years for Assault and Violent Disorder" - full article is available here.

Internet forum Smeggy's had this headline: "Leader of Religious Movement (Mehdi Zand) Jailed for Thugger" - and you can find the full post here.

A Further Article about Mehdi Zand's Prison Sentence: "Spending Everlasting Life in Jail"

You can read this article from Religious Watch by clicking here. It is also copied below fyi.

Spending Everlasting Life in Jail...Leader of religious movement jailed for thuggery

Three members of a religious movement who attacked two former followers have been jailed for a total of 11 years.

The victims were members of The World of Yaad, which claims to hold the secret to everlasting life.

They angered their attackers after they left the religion, and were also embroiled in a bitter business dispute with them.

The trio forced their way into a restaurant owned by the victims and made threats before seriously injuring one of the victims, who lives in Rickmansworth. The man received serious facial injuries and has since undergone facial reconstruction.

Francesco Zand was jailed for seven years for grievous bodily harm with intent and attempted grievous bodily harm with intent. Mohammed Kashefi, who pleased guilty to actual bodily harm, received a two year prison term. Mehdi Zand, the leader of The World of Yaad, was sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to violent disorder.

Detective Sergeant Kevin Brown said: This was a violent targeted attack on two individuals over both the ownership of the restaurant and simply because of the injured parties' disassociation with Mehdi Zand's movement.

Mehdi Zand and his Followers Found Guilty & Sentenced for a Combined 11 Years in Prison

On 25 September 2009, Mehdi Zand, the head of The World of Yaad, was sentenced to 2 years in jail following pleading guilty to violent disorder earlier this year on 15 July 2009. When including the time he has already spent in prison, it is likely that he will serve a bare minimum of a further 6 months behind bars.

Two of his followers, who helped him carry out a vicious attack on two former members of the group, have also been sentenced to further time in prison. Francesco Zand, who pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm with intent and attempted grievous bodily harm with intent, was given a total sentence of 7 years, whilst Mohammed Kashefi, who pleaded guilty to actual bodily harm, was handed down a sentence of 2 years in prison. All three men originally pleaded innocent to the charges, despite the serious harm that was caused to both victims.

An excerpt from the Hertfordshire Constabulary can be found below:

On Tuesday 11 November last year at about 5pm the trio forced their way into the Blue Fire restaurant on Uxbridge Road in Rickmansworth. The restaurant was locked and shut at the time.

They made threats against the two men in the restaurant over ownership of the business and the pair’s disassociation with a religious movement – The World of Yaad – of which Mehdi Zand is the leader.

During the incident one of the victims, a man from the Rickmansworth area, was injured by Francesco Zand. The man received considerable injuries to his face and has since undergone facial reconstruction....

...Detective Sergeant Kevin Brown said: “This was a violent targeted attack on two individuals over both the ownership of the restaurant and simply because of the injured parties’ disassociation with Mehdi Zand’s movement.

“This attack was an extreme reaction to the situation and has had long term psychological and physical effects on the victims.

“The verdicts reflect that behaviour of this kind will simply not be tolerated in Hertfordshire."

“Should individuals attempt to take matters into their own hands to resolve disputes with violence, the consequences will be severe and harsh. You will very likely be given a custodial sentence.”

Besides this report from the police (see link to full article in the first bullet point below), there have been many more reports about this attack in the news and some of the articles can be found in the following links:

• Three Men Given Combined Sentence of 11 Years for Assault and Violent Disorder (Hertfordshire Constabulary)
• Trio Jailed for Vicious Attack (Watford Observer)
• Religious Sect Members Jailed after attack on Former Members (Uxbridge Gazette, with the same article also reprinted on the WorldWide Religious News website)

It would appear that Wikipedia, the largest online information resource, has also taken an interest in the news as it has added Mehdi Zand to its 'List of Convicted Religious Leaders' (see bottom of the list).

If you are not already familiar with this attack and the controversy surrounding Mehdi Zand, you can see some earlier articles from the press about this particular case, or you can contact INFORM, the leading specialist on New Religious Movements which is also part of the London School of Economics and is sponsored in part by the UK Home Office, who has a large and detailed report on Zand and his movement.

• An earlier article from the Watford Observer
• A similar article from the Ealing times
• Please also see The Truth about the World of Yaad website for further background information

Mehdi Zand + 3 Other Men Plead Not Guilty on All Charges

A new article from the Watford Observer says that Mehdi Zand and the other three men arrested after an incident in Rickmansworth have all pleaded 'not guilty'.  Each person is charged with 2 counts of GBH with Intent.

The same article (copied below) has also appeared in the Ealing Times.

The news has also been picked up by The Truth About The World of Yaad blog.

Men Deny Rickmansworth Assault

12:15pm Tuesday 13th January 2009

By Neil Skinner

Four men have denied involvement in a violent assault at a Rickmansworth restaurant.

The men were arrested after an incident at the Blue Fire Restaurant, in Money Hill Parade, on the afternoon of Wednesday, November 12, during which two men were seriously injured.

Mehdi Zand, Francesco Zand, and Mohammed Kashefi, all of Tower Hill, Chipperfield, appeared with Hamid Mokaram-Afshari, of Northolt, at St Albans Crown Court yesterday afternoon.

All pleaded not guilty to two charges of wounding with intent to cause GBH and were remanded in custody for trial on Monday, July 6.