Three young men in court over attack on convenience store owner

The Hull Daily Mail reports on the trial of three young men who threatened a Muslim shop owner with a knife and a plank of wood after he confronted them at his store in Spring Bank, west Hull.

Hussein Ali, the owner of Bekhal, a 24-hour grocery store was threatened with a knife and racially abused on November 21 2015.

Joshua Sainsbury, 22, and an accomplice confronted Mr Ali, who chased them off with a baseball bat. But Sainsbury later returned brandishing a knife, and accompanied by Jack Hansom, 20, and Bailey Mackinnon, 18, who was armed with a length of wood.

Ali recorded the attack on his mobile phone as he and a colleague endured racist abuse including being called a “P***”.

The three men appeared before Hull Crown Court on charges of affray with Sainsbury and Mackinnon facing additional charges of possessing offensive weapons.

Sainsbury admitted affray and having a bladed article, Hansom admitted affray and Mackinnon admitted affray and having an offensive weapon.

Judge Jeremy Richardson told the three men that immediate custody would be appropriate given the severity of the charges but said that he was considering suspending the sentence after each of the men showed genuine remorse for their actions.

Judge Richardson asked the offenders to watch the video footage of their attack on Mr Ali and relay what they felt after watching it.

Judge Richardson said: “Each one of you deserves to go to jail immediately. But, to your credit, you have apologised manfully today.

“I want to think on this carefully, which is why I’m adjourning sentencing until Tuesday (10 May). Each one of you has never been to jail. But for the next few days you will get a taste of it. You will each go to the cells and come back on Tuesday. These next few days should be a lesson.”

The men are due to appear before the court tomorrow for sentencing.