A man ran off after kicking A Nottingham tram worker on the back of her knee and trying to grab around her neck. On December 26, 2022, Salmou Njie started shouting at a NET driver at the Forest Recreation Ground stop.
Travel officers conducting an operation to clamp down on fare dodgers were onboard and challenged him about his behaviour whilst trying to de-escalate the situation. However, Njie became aggressive towards them and kicked one of the staff members to the back of her knee and tried to grab her around the neck before running off.
Following police inquiries, Njie, of Cairo Road, Old Basford, was later arrested. He was found to be in possession of a small bag of cannabis, and he was subsequently charged.
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On Monday, April 24, Njie appeared before Nottingham Magistrates’ Court and was found guilty of assault by beating and pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis. The 30 year old was also convicted of two further counts of cannabis possession, on January 22, 2023 and August 12, 2022, as well as two counts of failing to surrender to custody.
The city's tram operator has welcomed the sentence after the unprovoked attack. Chris Wright, Managing Director of Nottingham Trams Limited, said the 26-week custodial sentence Njie was given should act as a warning and deterrent to others.
“We simply will not tolerate any abusive behaviour towards our employees who work tirelessly to provide a valuable public service. Fortunately, nobody was seriously hurt during this incident, but assaults of any kind can have a lasting impact on the wellbeing of the victim. We will always do all we can to help bring offenders to justice.
“We are pleased that, as in previous cases of assaults on our staff, this unacceptable attack on someone who was simply doing their job has resulted in a jail term for the perpetrator.” Sergeant Richard Hunter, of Nottinghamshire Police, added: “We continue to work closely with our colleagues at NET to ensure the tram remains safe for both customers and staff.
"This cooperation includes sharing CCTV footage and regular operations to deter crime. This was an assault on a NET employee who was just trying to defuse the situation along with her colleagues.
“Thankfully, we were able to track down Njie and bring him to justice for his heinous actions. I hope this case acts as a warning and deterrent to others who think such senseless behaviour will be tolerated in our communities.”
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