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Takeaway shop 'closed by yobs'
A TAKEAWAY boss has closed his Sheffield shop after being hit with a brick, kicked, punched, threatened with a knife and racially abused.
The businessman, who refused to be named for fear of reprisals, has closed Abbey Pizza on Blackstock Road, Gleadless, after the latest in a long list of attacks he has endured since he took over the shop in May.
The 32-year-old, who is originally from Iran and has lived in Sheffield for eight years, is convinced the attacks are racially motivated and said he no longer feels safe working in his shop.
In the latest incident he was hit over the head with a brick, kicked and punched for simply challenging a group of youths about their behaviour outside his shop.
He claims the yobs hurled a stone at his customers and when they began to surround and attack him they were joined by a group of adults who threw the brick at his head.
"They were like a pack of animals surrounding me, kicking and punching me, so when I moved away from them closer to get closer to the CCTV so it would be picked up a group of men then came across and joined in and it was one of them who threw the brick at me," he said.
He claims he rings South Yorkshire Police on a weekly basis to report incidents - "As far as I am aware nobody has ever been taken to court over what they are doing to me and that makes me feel let down," he said. "I get racist phone calls, I get physically attacked and I have even had a knife pulled out on me - where is it going to end?"
Inspector Tim Ireland, from Woodseats and Gleadless Valley Safer Neighbourhood Team, said:"Following previous incidents reported by him, numerous local youths have been arrested and some have been charged or issued with fixed penalty notices for their involvement."
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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