Petrol Station Worker attacked Colleague after Shift Row

Petrol station worker Syed Ahmed, aged 29, of Plymouth, was jailed for 12 months after he launched an unprovoked attack on his colleague.

Plymouth Crown Court heard that Ahmed threw a bottle at the man and hit him between 10 and 15 times during the incident on August 2, 2021.

He chased him around the shop before the victim managed to escape upstairs at the Esso garage.

The pair got into a row after Ahmed turned up late to relieve his colleague at night at the filling station on Plymouth Road.

Ahmed also snatched his victim’s phone from the counter to stop him from calling the police.

Ahmed pleaded guilty to assault causing actual bodily harm.

Judge William Mousley told the petrol station worker:

“You launched an unprovoked attack on him, punching him ten to 15 times.

“He ran out onto the forecourt to get help but was unsuccessful, when he came back into the shop you persisted with the assault, including hitting him with a bottle.”

Caroline Bolt, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said that Ahmed was set to start his shift at 11 pm and take over from his colleague.

However, he turned up 20 minutes late.

She explained that the victim complained. Ahmed then became aggressive and knocked him to the ground.

Miss Bolt said Ahmed punched his victim between 10 and 15 times.

She went on to say that the victim ran onto the forecourt and tried to attract the attention of a driver, however, it was in vain.

The victim ran back into the petrol station shop, where Ahmed pursued him around the aisles and threw a bottle at him.

The court heard that the victim managed to lock himself upstairs.

Miss Bolt said that the victim was left with a bruised and swollen face.

She said that the phone was recovered.

In 2017, Ahmed appeared at the same court where he admitted assault causing actual bodily harm on January 1 that year.

He grabbed a woman by the throat in the Switch nightclub and bit her ear.

The wound became infected and as a result, she had to stay in hospital for three days.

Ali Rafati, for Ahmed, said the complainant had made comments about his client’s family which had “touched a raw nerve”.

Judge Mousley passed a restraining order which bans Ahmed from contacting his victim for five years.