Thug spits in face of nurse
AN NHS worker was spat in the face by a young man on a bike as she was walking home after a ten-hour shift.
Sama Shali, 33, works in medicine management at The Christie hospital and was walking to a nearby tram station.
A man on a bike came up to her on Wilmslow Road in West Didsbury. Sama said: “He said something to me and I took my earphones out to hear what he said.
“I asked him if he could give me some space as he was quite close to me and then he spat in my face.
“I was so shocked and I told him I was going to ring the police. He just started circling me on his bike and then he did it again - he spat at my face again.”
Thankfully for Sama, who lives in Stretford, there were two women running nearby who saw the incident and were able to take a photo of the man and make him leave her alone.
“I am so grateful to the women that helped me,” said Sama. “But I am so shocked and upset about it - I just don’t understand why it happened to me.”
Sama said her work lanyard was clearly on display and she believes it might impact her job if the man has coronavirus.
“I am scared he might have had coronavirus and wanted to spread it,” she said.
“Now I am scared that I could pass it on to my colleagues or patients. We are short-staffed and I am scared of the impact it will have on my team if I become ill.”
Sama has worked in the NHS since 2015, having previously worked as a pharmacy manager at HM Prison Manchester, and currently works in the cancer research department at the Christie.
She said her managers and colleagues had been extremely supportive, but she still felt affected by what happened.
“When I went home I had about three showers, not just because I felt dirty but because I was so upset,” said
Sama. “I spent all of the next morning crying.”
Witnesses reported that the man was tall and aged in his 30s.
Police confirmed they were investigating the incident.
A spokesman said: “Police were called at 6.15pm on Wednesday 25 March 2020 to reports of an assault on a 35-year-old woman on Wilmslow Road,” a spokesperson for GMP said in a statement.
“A man on a bike approached the woman and spat at her twice before making off.
“The offender is described as a white man, aged in his 30s, and with a medium build.
“He was wearing a black jumper and black jeans and was riding a red pedal bike.
“No arrests have been made and enquiries are ongoing.”
Anyone with information should contact police on 101 quoting incident number 2139 of 25/03/2020.
Details can also be passed anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.