Chatsworth Road takeaway boss wiped CCTV of double stabbing in his shop so he would be ‘left alone’
Sameer Hussain - Credit: Archant
A takeaway boss wiped CCTV of a double stabbing and used bleach to destroy vital evidence so police would “leave him and his business alone”, a court heard.
Two men, 26 and 29, were stabbed as they ordered fast food at the Chatsworth Road restaurant the day before Christmas Eve last year.
But the actions of shop manager Sameer Hussain, 29, had serious consequences, police said, as they left insufficient evidence for officers to charge anyone.
During Hussain’s trial Wood Green Crown Court also heard a man arrested in connection with the stabbing was shot and wounded in Hackney a month later. Police believe it was a revenge attack.
After witnessing the double stabbing, Hussain, of Clarence Road, Lower Clapton, set about “systematically covering it up”.
He also failed to call 999, leaving the two men to “stagger into a nearby hospital,” according to Scotland Yard.
He then told police officers the shop’s CCTV system was broken and had not been recording.
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Having denied the charge, Hussain finally admitted perverting the course of justice on the first day of his trial, and was convicted yesterday.
He had already spent several months in prison on remand leading up to the trial but left court a free man after being given a 21-month suspended sentence by Judge Ader.
Det Con Ben Kahane, from Hackney CID, said: “Through the actions of Hussain, two men were prevented from seeing justice done.
“Hussain arrogantly thought that by deleting CCTV footage and destroying forensic evidence there would be no consequences to his actions, and that the police would leave him and his business alone.
“Today’s sentence sends out a clear message to those considering destroying evidence to frustrate police investigations.
“Should you actively attempt to obstruct the police and tamper with a crime scene, your actions will be investigated, you will be prosecuted and you may find yourself in prison.”
