Customer knifed twice by man waving weapon at takeaway owner
A MAN stabbed a visitor to a takeaway restaurant who jumped in to defuse a confrontation with the business owner.
Abdul Rouf’s victim was stabbed in the hip and the chest after Rouf had gone to Halima Tandoori in Cwmafan in Port Talbot to speak with owner Zakir Hussain, who was involved in civil proceedings with Rouf’s brother-in-law, in a bid to remove his name from the business’s lease.
Rouf had first pulled the phone from the wall and told Mr Hussain the business was closed, prompting Mr Hussain to go outside to call the police.
Swansea Crown Court was told that, after returning inside the property during the incident on February 2 this year, Rouf then produced a lock knife and waved it in the air as he threatened Mr Hussain.
Prosecuting, Hannah George told the court a customer, Nasser Habibi, who was a friend of Mr Hussain, then arrived at the scene.
“He saw the defendant waving the knife and shouting and behaving aggressively. Mr Habibi got between the defendant and Mr Hussain while the defendant was still in possession of the knife.
“The defendant turned towards Mr Habibi and stabbed him two times; once on the left hip and once in the chest area in quick succession and with an upward cutting motion.
“Mr Habibi was shocked and taken aback and started to bleed profusely, while the defendant left and drove away.”
Mr Habibi was taken to Morriston Hospital by ambulance, where he received five stitches to his hip and four to his chest, in what was described as a “fortunately quite limited medical intervention”.
Ms George said Rouf was arrested and had initially told officers “he did not see what harm he caused” and attempted to smear Mr Hussain by saying he was fraudulently conducting his business.
She said Rouf had also told officers he had first been threatened with a knife and acted in selfdefence, a position “that is no longer being advanced”.
Mitigating, Huw Davies told the court Rouf was 52 and had no previous convictions, only a caution in 2006 relating to fraudulent use of a driving licence.
He added Rouf was essentially of clean character and that his remorse was sincere.
He added Rouf did not drink or smoke and that his position was that the incident had been spontaneous and not premeditated.
Mr Davies added: “Notwithstanding the possession of the knife, he never intended to use it until the discussion became heated. It was spontaneous and the act was not prolonged.”
Judge Paul Thomas rejected the position, saying Rouf had taken a lock knife when knowing “there was going to be friction at the very least”.
Rouf, of Western Street, Sandfields, Swansea, had pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding and possession of a bladed article. The prosecution offered no evidence for a third charge, wounding with intent.
Sentencing, Judge Thomas said: “Make no mistake about it, this was a very serious matter indeed.
“You went to Mr Hussain’s restaurant premises because of a business disagreement which had led to court proceedings. You went there to bully him into dropping the proceedings, armed with a lock knife for which you had no legitimate purpose of having it with you.
“He told you to leave and you produced the knife. You stabbed Mr Habibi to the hip and more significantly to the chest, which is always very dangerous for obvious reasons of the vital organs in that area. He was bleeding profusely but even when you saw that you made off.
“In interview and thereafter and right up to the first [court] hearing, you falsely claimed you were threatened with a knife. That was frankly not true.
“You are hitherto of clean character; however, you took a knife and in my view that was premeditated. Mr Davies urges me that your remorse is genuine, but I have some difficulty believing that is the case.”
Rouf was sentenced to nine months for unlawful wounding, and six months for possession of a bladed article, to run concurrently, making a total of nine months. He was told he would serve half of that in custody (four and half months), but having already served two months on remand he could expect to be released in two and a half months.