Shopkeeper's racism ordeal
A HEMSWORTH shopkeeper was left feeling 'degraded' after a racist threatened to rape his mother.
Amandeep Singh Cheema, owner of Singh's Convenience Store, on Barnsley Road, was the victim of an attack that happened on August 24.
Mr Cheema, 26, owner of the shop, said Michael Jason Gascoigne, 21, of Moorfield Crescent, Hemsworth, entered the shop swearing at him.
He said: "He was just shouting and swearing at me, then started with the horrible racist abuse.
"He called me so many racist names and called me an 'Asian animal' and then he threatened to rape my mother, which really made me angry and upset.
"When someone swears at you, it can be tolerated. But when they bring your family into it, that just makes it so much more personal and that is when it really started to hurt and make me angry.
"I felt degraded to be spoken to like that and also embarassed because other people in the shop heard what he was saying.
"I just wanted him out of the shop, I didn't want him to scare anyone either.
"I felt disgusted that someone would behave like that. I was fuming."
"There were about six customers in the shop, including an elderly person and a mum with two small children.
"What makes it worse is that the kids will pick up on those horrible words, then start to ask questions about what it means and why he was saying it. And those are questions that just can't be answered."
Mr Cheema said he recognised Gascoigne as he'd been in the shop earlier in the week.
He added: "He came in a couple of days before and tried to leave with a few items without paying enough money for them.
"I asked him to put them back and he just threw them down so I told him he was barred.
"Then he said that if I was going to cause problems for him he would cause them for me and I didn't see him again until last Tuesday, when this happened."
Gascoigne eventually left the shop and walked to the park at the rear.
Mr Cheema called the police who arrived and arrested him.
On the way to the police station, he continued the racist abuse at one of the officers and tried to headbutt and spit at them.
Gascoigne pleaded guilty to both offences at Pontefract Magistrates' Court last Thursday, and was sentenced to six weeks in prison for each offence, which will run concurrently.
Ruth Gill, mitigating, said he was extremely sorry to the shopkeeper and police officer who did not deserve such foul and racist behaviour.
She added that Gascoigne was troubled with mental health issues and that if he had not drunk a bottle of vodka he would not have done it.
Mr Cheema added: "There was just no need for it, what he was saying was pure hatred.
"If he was mad because I had barred him then fair enough, but my race or colour shouldn't have anything to do with it."
This is the second racist attack Mr Cheema has suffered at his shop, which he opened in April last year.
He added: "It upset me but I have to try and forget about it.
"I think people need to be educated. We live in a society full of different cultures and people need to try and be more accepting.
"We are all from the same country."
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Wakefield
Saturday 04 February 2012
Today
Heavy snow
Temperature: -1 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 2 C to 6 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: West
