Police are hunting a Bibby Stockholm asylum seeker who skipped court after punching and biting two security guards when they detained him for shoplifting.
Ahmed Haffa, 24, stole a silver jacket worth £59.99 from a TK Maxx store in Weymouth, Dorset, and was pursued by security guards after triggering the security alarm as he left.
The asylum seeker landed several punches on Cullen Henry-Barnes as he attempted to escape and then bit the guard’s finger, drawing blood, before he was eventually tackled to the ground by another member of security and arrested by police.
A warrant has been issued for his arrest after he failed to make the 37 mile journey to Poole Magistrates’ Court yesterday for his trial after previously denying charges of assault and shoplifting.
He was found guilty in his absence and is the first resident of the Bibby Stockholm to be convicted of a crime since the controversial asylum barge arrived last July.
Bibby Stockholm asylum seeker Ahmed Haffa (pictured), 24, bit and punched security staff after stealing a jacket worth £59.99
The TK Maxx store in Weymouth, Dorset, where Haffa stole the jacket from before he was tackled by security guards and arrested by police
Haffa was found guilty of assault and shoplifting and is the first resident of the Bibby Stockholm (pictured) to be convicted of a crime since the barge arrived last July
Security guard Cullen Henry-Barnes chased down Haffa who told him to ‘stay the f**k away from me’ and threw punches at him.
He then let out a ‘primal scream’ and bit Mr Henry-Barnes on his finger, drawing blood, before fleeing the scene.
Mr Henry-Barnes and a fellow security guard, Callum Hayes, then pursued the immigrant through the town centre and tackled him to the ground.
Haffa, 24, punched Mr Hayes in the ribs as they pinned him down while waiting for police to arrive.
Haffa, who resides on the Bibby Stockholm barge in Portland Port and is believed to be Arabic, was arrested following the incident at 5.45pm on December 13 last year.
A second unidentified man who was with Haffa also stole a jacket from TK Maxx but got away.
He said in his police interview that he had stolen the jacket as he was ‘cold and poor’ and could not afford to buy one due to his £9 weekly allowance.
After failing to show up for his trial, District Judge Orla Austin issued a warrant for Haffa’s arrest so he can be sentenced before the court.
Haffa (pictured) told security guards to ‘stay the f**k away from me’ as he tried to flee
Haffa lives on the Bibby Stockholm barge (pictured) in Portland and is believed to be Arabic
It will be the second arrest warrant issued for Haffa after he did not turn up to his first hearing at Weymouth Magistrates’ Court on January 17.
He was detained hours later, held in custody and appeared at Poole Magistrates’ Court on January 18.
During a brief plea hearing he pretended he could not speak English, even though his defence lawyer told the court he had had a conversation with him in English just before proceedings opened which he ‘perfectly understood’.
Charles Nightingale, prosecuting, told the court yesterday: ‘There are three matters before the court. Two are relating to assault, one of Cullen Henry-Barnes and the other on Callum Hayes.
‘The third matter is actually the first in time, as the defendant stole an item from TK Maxx, namely a jacket to the value of £59.99.’
Mr Henry-Barnes, a ranger who is contracted by Weymouth Town Council to patrol the streets, told the court that he approached Haffa and another man he was with after the shop’s security alarm went off.
He asked them to hand back the jackets but they both made a run for it, so he chased Haffa while Mr Hayes chased the other suspect, who got away.
Haffa tripped up while going around the corner, allowing Mr Henry-Barnes to catch him up.
Mr Henry-Barnes said he told Haffa that, if he handed back the jacket, he would let him go and not call the police.
Haffa missed his trial at Poole Magistrates’ Court (pictured) yesterday
But Haffa swore at him, telling him to ‘f**k off’ and ‘stay the f**k away from me’, before throwing several punches.
Haffa then let out a ‘primal scream’ in his face prompting Mr Henry-Barnes to pin him against a car, which is when he was bitten.
Mr Henry-Barnes said: ‘He let out a primal scream as he came towards me so I got him by the collar on to a car but he then took a bite out of my finger, drawing blood.
‘I then let go and he ran again so I chased after him and called for assistance.
‘I spotted him outside Marks & Spencer and Callum and I managed to grab him.
‘He was still trying to throw punches at us as we held him down while the police arrived.’
Mr Henry-Barnes told the court he required Hepatitis jabs in hospital and he is now more ‘wary’ of patrolling the streets in case he is attacked again.
Addressing the court, Judge Austin said: ‘There is no good reason for Mr Haffa’s non-attendance.
‘I heard from two witnesses, Mr Henry-Barnes and Mr Hayes, about the incident on December 13 and I am satisfied the defendant did steal the jacket in question as he admitted in police interview.
‘He ran through various streets and when Mr Henry-Barnes caught up with him he threw punches and bit him on the finger requiring him to have medical attention and tests for Hepatitis.
‘I am satisfied that he threw punches at Mr Hayes and that both assaults happened as they described.
‘I’m going to issue a warrant for the arrest of Mr Haffa which it’s a matter for police to execute, and he will be brought before the court to be sentenced.’
