A TRAINEE dentist suffered life-changing injuries in a brutal and unprovoked racially motivated attack at a Tesco store, a court heard.
Dr Sarandev Bhambra, of Leeds, who was working at Mold in North Wales, was attacked with a machete and a hammer while shopping at lunchtime.
Defendant Zack Davies was said to be laughing and shouting “white supremacy”, “this is revenge” and “this is for Lee Rigby” as he did so. The victim’s hand was almost severed and he thought he was going to die, jurors at Mold Crown Court were told.
Dr Bhambra desperately tried to get away from the defendant and threw items from shelves to try to trip him.
Davies, of Mold, admits wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, but denies attempted murder.
Prosecuting barrister Sion ap Mihangel said the 26-year-old had gone out looking for his mother’s boyfriend to attack him, but he could not find him.
He said he followed Dr Bhambra into the Tesco store because of his Asian appearance and attacked him within minutes with the machete and claw hammer which he had in a rucksack.
Mr ap Mihangel said Davies would have killed Dr Bhambra but for the brave intervention of a customer, former soldier Peter Fuller of Mold, who stood in his way and is said to have persuaded him to put the weapons down.
The jury heard the defendant’s home was later searched and items of white supremacy and Nazism were found.
The prosecutor said Davies accepted being responsible for the injuries and had attacked Mr Bhambra because of his “ethnic appearance”, but it was his case that he did not intend to kill him.
When arrested, Davies said: “It was me. I surrendered my weapons. I did it for Lee Rigby,” the court heard. The court heard the victim suffered wounds to the head, lower back, and a “huge gaping wound” to the base of his left hand.
The trial continues.