Three men plead guilty to attack on Muslim takeaway staff

The Mirror and The Courier both report on the case of three men who admitted attacking Muslim takeaway staff in Fife following terror attacks in Paris in November 2015.

Robbie Smart, 18, Connor Crombie, 19, and Darren Macduff, 18, pleaded guilty to attacking store owner Mohammed Khalid and employee Mohammed Nadeem outside the Caspian fast food takeaway in Methil, Fife.

The trio were cleared of behaving in a ‘racially aggravated manner intended to cause alarm and distress’ however, alongside four others – Kyle Campbell, 19, Sean Wood, 20, Brandon Munro, 18, and a 17-year-old who cannot be named for legal reasons.

The group previously appeared at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court in July to enter pleas, while the trial was delayed in December after prosecutors failed to retrieve all the CCTV footage available from the shop 

Khalid, 53 and Nadeem, 35, were kicked and punched in the attack, which occurred while they were closing the shop on 15 November 2015. Khalid suffered a serious facial injury during the assault and said some who attacked him had been “shouting about ISIS”. 

The court was shown CCTV footage of the “large scale disturbance”, which occurred the day after attacks in Paris killed over 100 people.

Sentencing of the three guilty men was deferred by Sheriff James Williamson until next month in order for social work background reports to be completed.

Khalid closed the takeaway last year after 25 years, citing fears of safety for himself and his family. He told the Daily Record, “I thought I could return, but the nightmares and flashbacks have just been too much for me to handle. I don’t feel safe there anymore.”