Trio avoid jail for attack on Fife takeaway owner

Teenagers carried out assault hours after terror attacks in Paris

Three youths who attacked a Muslim takeaway owner hours after the IS attacks on Paris have avoided jail.

Robbie Smart, Connor Crombie and Darren Macduff admitted their roles in a “fracas” outside the Caspian takeaway in Methil just 24 hours after the Paris atrocities, which killed 130 people at the Bataclan theatre, the Stade de France and on the streets of the French capital.

The trio, along with four other men, had been accused of “shouting racially offensive comments” towards Caspian owner Mohammed Khalid during the incident.

However, all seven had their not guilty pleas to behaving in a racially aggravated manner accepted after the Crown deemed there was “not a sufficiency” of evidence to allow them to proceed to trial on that charge.

CCTV footage shown to Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court showed a large-scale disturbance outside the shop, which began when worker Mohammed Nadeem, 35, tried to close the shutters at closing time.

More than a dozen men appear to be involved in the incident – one of whom at the end kicks Mr Khalid full force in the face, causing a serious injury.

However, most of those involved have never faced court over the incident, described as a “fracas” by a sheriff.

During the disturbance, Smart kicked Mr Nadeem, before Mr Khalid emerged to try to calm the situation.

However, he was then subjected to a vicious attack by a series of men as his wife attempted to intervene.

At one point Crombie launched a flurry of punches at Mr Khalid’s head before Macduff threw away his food and ran over to punch the victim on the body.

Smart, 18, of Denfield Place, Kirkcaldy, admitted he kicked Mr Nadeem on the body to his injury, while Macduff, 18, of Craigmount, Kirkcaldy, admitted punching Mr Khalid on the body.

Crombie, 19, of Fosterton Crescent, Kirkcaldy, pleaded guilty to kicking Mr Nadeem on the body and repeatedly punching Mr Khalid, 53, on his head to his injury on Wellsley Road, Methil, on November 15 2015.

Kyle Campbell, 19, of Sidlaw Street, Kirkcaldy, Brandon Munro, 18, of Farne Court, Kirkcaldy, Sean Wood, 20, of Hugo Avenue, Coaltown of Wemyss, and a 17-year-old, also of Kirkcaldy, who cannot be named, had their not guilty pleas accepted to all charges.

Sheriff James Williamson imposed community payback orders on all three men.

They will each have to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work in the next nine months.

Robbie Smart, top left, and Connor Crombie, top right, took part in the brutal assault, pictured on CCTV, above.