Women attacked by man in “outrageous public display of misogyny”

Three women were attacked in broad daylight by a man for not wearing traditional Asian clothing at a petrol station in Bradford. 

Muhammed Hassan, 26, was seen on CCTV grabbing the driver and slamming her head on the dashboard, grabbing another woman’s hair and punching her in the head, and then beating the third woman. 

Bradford Crown Court heard it described as “an outrageous public display of misogyny”. 

Ayman Khokhar, the prosecutor, said the three women, who were known to Hassan, had stopped to fill up their car at the Prince of Wales Service Station on Harrogate Road in Bradford en route to going for dinner on May 25th earlier this year. 

Hassan then pulled alongside them and was stated by one of the women to be “refuelling his car slowly on purpose”. 

All three women decided to wait until he had left as he had previously objected to their non-traditional dress and make-up, verbally abusing them as “slags” and “prostitutes” and demanding that they dress conservatively. 

However, after paying, Hassan marched straight to their car to attack and punch the women aggressively. 

He then drove off as the women called the police. 

The victims suffered swelling, bruising, red marks and scratches. 

Hassan remained silent during a police interview but later pleaded guilty to affray. 

Mr Kokhar said: “In broad daylight, he has attacked three females at a petrol station. The offence appears to be motivated by sexist attitudes towards women.” 

Fuad Arshad, representing Hassan, mentioned that Hassan’s behaviour on that day was ultimately out of character and that he was sincerely regretful. The incident stemmed from Hassan’s belief that the three women had some involvement in the end of a marriage. However, Hassan acknowledged that his actions on that day were unjustified.

His Honour Judge Colin Burn, who sentenced Hassan to six months in prison suspended for two years, said: “Whatever the motivation was for this, it’s still utterly inadequate to justify the violence that you perpetrated against [the victims] when they were sitting in a car effectively cowering from you.

“The three people on the receiving end of your violence were women who were in a vulnerable situation.

“[This was] an extremely abusive, controlling, and violent incident.”

Hassan was instructed to complete 35 rehabilitation activity requirement days to address the root causes of the violence, perform 180 hours of unpaid work, and wear an electronic tag for the next four months to monitor his movements. Additionally, he was ordered to pay £500 in costs.