A shopkeeper was beaten senseless by a thug who menaced him twice before after police said the yob — wasn’t a priority.
Muhammad Jawad Ali, 30, was kicked in the back and pinned against a shelf before his attacker beat him to a pulp and hit him over the head with a bottle.
Father-of-one Muhammad suffered four fractures to his face and was forced to take three weeks off work following the violent attack.
He was targeted by a man who had been loitering in and around his corner shop on two previous occasions while threatening staff and customers.
Muhammad, who works at the Lifestyle Express store in Dennistoun, Glasgow, first called police after the man verbally abused him.
The thug then returned and threatened him and customers with an umbrella two days later.
But on both occasions police told Muhammad they could do nothing for him as no one had actually been harmed and it was therefore not a priority case.
Officers only turned up at the store after the shopkeeper was battered and bruised in an appalling attack captured in graphic detail on CCTV.
Muhammad said: “The first time he came to the shop, I called the police and they said ‘we can’t come because he’s not attacking you’. I called two times on that day.
“Two days later he came again in the evening. He started getting rude and threatened customers, an old lady and me with an umbrella. He was standing here for an hour.
“I called police more than three times on that day. They should have done something when I told them he was threatening us.
“The police said there’s no case for them to turn up. They said they could not come until he attacked someone. They said they have different priorities.
“Days later he came back. He didn’t say a single word. He kicked me in the back and I fell onto the bottles.
“He grabbed me and started punching me for no reason. Then he tried to grab the til but he couldn’t take it. He threw it on the floor and just ran away.
“My blood was everywhere.”
Police only turned up after customers called them because of the “serious assault” on Muhammad.
The incident was captured in an eight-second CCTV video which shows the hooded job jumping on Muhammad‘s back then pummeling him with both fists.
The thug then grabbed Muhammad‘s till, throwing it to the floor and then wheeling away as the dazed shopkeeper is left reeling against the shop shelves.
Muhammad was rushed to Glasgow Royal Infirmary with facial injuries, including three fractures to his cheekbone, a further to his nose and cuts to his mouth.
He has since had problems with his eyesight and is concerned about his safety.
The attack happened at 2.35pm on January 3 but has only come to light now after courageous Muhammad decided to speak out about it in an attempt to catch the thug, who is still on the loose.
Muhammad said his attacker was white, of a skinny build, just over 6ft tall, clean shaven and speaking with an Eastern European accent.
Police said their enquiries “are continuing” to catch the thug and have urged anyone with information regarding this incident to contact them.
Muhammad added: “They didn’t get him the first time, but the second time they should have come.
“After all this happened I thought they would get the guy, but no. I want to come back to work but I can’t stand here by myself.
“Now it’s been a month and nothing has happened. If he was caught I would be satisfied. I am destroyed from inside. My life is not secure.
“I never wanted to complain. If he is not caught, he might do it to someone else. He could attack anyone.”
A spokeswoman for Police Scotland said: “We can confirm that a call was made to the police relating to a disturbance on two separate occasions in a shop in Arc Lane, Glasgow in December.
“On both occasions it was reported that a man had been causing a disturbance within the shop.
“All incidents are graded in line with their priority level and as there were no officers in the area available to attend the store at the time, the shopkeeper was offered advice and guidance over the phone.
“The complainer was asked to call back if things escalated. He was then invited to make appointments with the police for the following day after both reports.
“The shopkeeper declined these appointments and stated that he no longer wished for police to attend.
“Enquiries are ongoing to establish if the two incidents are linked to the serious assault.”
But Muhammad added: “The reason I turned down the appointments was because there was no point in them coming to the shop days after the event when the guy wasn’t there. I wanted them to turn up when he was causing all the hassle.”
