A man who'd sunk a bottle of vodka sprayed bleach in a supermarket worker's face after he was confronted for coughing on customers outside a Lidl store during the Covid pandemic. Younis Mohammed, 55, shouted: "You stupid n****r, I'm going to kill you."
He then pointed a spray bottle filled with bleach at his victim's eyes and face during a bust-up in the car park of the Longsight supermarket on June 10, 2020. Lidl staff earlier approached Mohammed after customers complained he had coughed on them as he begged for food and money while they queued outside.
Following an 'aggressive' confrontation with the victim, Mohammed was moved on by police - only to later return armed with a spray bottle of bleach. Manchester Crown Court heard he was on medication for mental health issues, which he 'should not have been drinking on'.
Mohammed later told police he had no memory of the attack and did not know why he had been arrested due to the effect of the 70cl bottle of vodka he had drank in combination with his medication. He later pleaded guilty to administering poison or noxious substance with intent.
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Prosecuting, Aubrey Sampson said Mohammed had been asked to move by security after 'begging for food and money' outside the store. The victim tried to move him on and customers queueing outside complained to him that Mohammed had been 'coughing on' them.
The court heard how victim approached Mohammed and asked him to move on, but he became 'aggressive', shouting 'f*** off motherf*****. The victim and another colleague managed to move Mohammed away from the queue before calling the police, who escorted Mohammed away from the shop.
Mr Sampson said the victim 'believed that was the end of things', but Mohammed returned later that day and another confrontation ensued. The court heard Mohammed yelled 'at the victim and sprayed bleach towards his face and eyes.
The victim put his arms up to protect his face and head before managing to tackle Mohammed. Mohammed was subsequently arrested, and in police interview said he 'didn't remember' anything about the day after getting lunch on Dickenson Road, and 'didn't know why' he had been arrested. He called the insults he hurled at his victim 'horrible' and said he would 'never say that'.
The victim was taken to Manchester Royal Infirmary after sustaining 'minor injuries'.
Defending, Samayra Ashraf called the incident 'unfortunate and unpleasant' but told the court Mohammed had a number of mental health problems and alcohol issues stemming from his experiences in Kashmir many years ago. She said he was 'remorseful' and 'wishes to turn his life around'.
Sentencing, Recorder Eric Lamb said it was 'merciful' that the Lidl worker only sustained minor injuries, but that this was not a result of 'particular care' taken by Mohammed.
"The fact that you were in drink at the time is an aggravating feature because you knew you could not mix alcohol with your medication," he said. "Your victim was given some injury, but in particular a fright."
He acknowledged 'the unhappy events in Kashmir many years ago' that had 'led' Mohammed into alcoholism and post traumatic stress disorder, but said breaches of a court order and bail during the proceedings meant an immediate custodial sentence was inevitable.
Mohammed, of no fixed address, was sentenced to 16 months.
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