A knife-wielding Afghan asylum seeker went on a rampage in a Morrisons supermarket, forcing terrified staff to evacuate shoppers. Milad Panjshiri, 22, stormed into the store in Bradford, West Yorkshire, clutching a six-inch knife before threatening a worker and trashing the aisles.
Footage shows Panjshiri knocking over wine bottle shelves as he walked through the store, littering the shop floor with smashed glass. He even used the knife to stab cans during the rampage on December 5 last year, Bradford Crown Court heard.
One worker said he was 'tapping the knife on his leg' before he approached a female colleague and waved the knife at her. Amid fears for the public's safety, staff sounded the fire alarm and ushered dozens of shoppers out of the store. Staff told police they were in tears and panicked as they evacuated terrified shoppers out of the store as the chaos unfolded.
Police were called at about 11:00 am to reports of a man with a knife damaging supermarket property. Panjshiri was then arrested and the weapon seized. The Afghan national, who lives in Bradford, refused to leave his prison cell for sentencing, which was served in his absence.
Mitigating the case, Faud Arshad said mental health issues were a factor in Panjshiri's rampage and told the court there was no evidence to suggest he attempted to attack a member of the public. Sentencing Panjshiri to 18 months in prison, the judge said the case was 'a very troubling offence' and 'something in the way of a rampage'.
He said: 'He was brandishing that knife in a public place, and there can't be that many more serious examples of offending of this nature than what happened on that day. No doubt because of other incidents that have occurred both the staff and members of the public will have had a heightened awareness of something like this occurring.'
