Student racially abused in robbery attempt
BBCAn international student says he feels unwelcome in a city after being racially abused and threatened during an attempted robbery, a court has heard.
Daniel Gregory, 33, pushed the young man and threw sweets in his face as he tried to steal vapes from a store on Grainger Street, Newcastle, in October, the city's crown court heard.
The shop worker, who was in his first week at the job, said he had been terrified in the attack, during which Gregory had threatened to kill him.
Gregory admitted attempted robbery and was jailed for 21 months, suspended for two years, with an order to complete a drug rehabilitation course.
He entered the shop on 28 October 2024 and tried to sell the worker a pair of headphones, prosecutor Jenni Coxon said.
When that was rejected, Gregory, who appeared intoxicated, demanded he be allowed to try a flavour of vape, which again was rejected, the court heard.
Gregory said he would "shoot" the man and take all the money from till, before becoming increasingly aggressive and starting to tussle with him, the court heard.
A glass cabinet was knocked over, damaging a mobile phone, and Gregory threw a pack of sweets in the man's face while using extremely offensive racial slurs.
'Very frightened'
In a statement read to the court, the victim said he was an international student working his first week at the shop when Gregory attacked him.
He said he felt "very frightened" and the racial abuse had made him feel "unwelcome" in the city.
Judge Gavin Doig said Gregory's language was "disgraceful", with Gregory interrupting court proceedings to say he was sorry for what he said.
The court heard Gregory, of Bensham Court in Gateshead, had 25 convictions for 45 offences on his criminal record but was now working to overcome a drug addiction.
Judge Doig suspended Gregory's prison term on the condition he complete a nine-month drug rehabilitation requirement, as well as other work with the probation service.