A TURKISH asylum seeker who stabbed a man with a broken bottle outside a bar avoided jail and deportation, a court heard.
Halil Dal attacked Kashif Chugtai outside a nightclub in Bournemouth at around 5.30am on December 14 last year.
BNPSHalil Dal smashed a bottle on the wall before launching his attack[/caption]
BNPSThe 30-year-old slashed his victim outside Camel bar in Bournemouth on December 14[/caption]
BNPSThe asylum seeker is being housed at a migrant hotel[/caption]
The 30-year-old was caught on camera smashing the glass bottle against a wall before lunging towards his victim.
Mr Chugtai was slashed on the back, but was not seriously injured.
Dal is currently being housed in one of the three migrant hotels in Bournemouth, Dorset.
A court heard he fled Turkey because he faced persecution for his politics and was tortured by police to become an informant.
Dal’s defence counsel said he was suffering with mental health issues since arriving in the UK.
David Finney, prosecuting, told Poole Magistrates’ Court Dal made a “stabbing motion” with the broken bottle before launching the attack outside Camel bar.
Security restrained him on the floor until the police arrived.
Describing the CCTV footage Mr Finney said: “He walks past the victim then turns around and walks back.
“He pulls a bottle from his pocket, smashes the bottle and makes a stabbing motion towards the victim.
“He smashes it again and makes a stabbing motion two more times. Door staff then become involved.”
Mr Finney told the court “more serious charges” would likely have been filed if there had been an official statement from the victim, but he refused to do so.
“It is use of a highly dangerous weapon, a broken bottle is the equivalent of a knife,” the prosecutor added.
Juliet Osborne, defending, said her client had suffered trauma in Turkey.
She said: “Mr Dal is in the UK seeking asylum.
“He tells me he was involved in politics in Turkey. He was forced by police to become an informant, the police beat and tortured him in order to force him to do that.
“They raided his home and accused him of being a member of a terrorist group. His family helped him flee to the UK.
“Upon coming to the UK he has felt hopeless and suffered immeasurably with his mental health.
“This is due to the trauma he suffered in Turkey, uncertainty about his asylum position here in the UK and fear of what will happen to him should asylum be refused and he is returned to Turkey.
“He has sadly, since coming to the UK, made several attempts on his own life. This includes jumping from the fourth floor of his asylum accommodation.
“This resulted in a fractured scapula (shoulder blade) on both his arms and a ruptured lung. He is now medicated for anxiety and depression.
“Since this incident he has stopped drinking entirely and there have been no incidents since this.”
The defendant admitted a charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and narrowly avoided jail.
Nicola Phillips, chair of the bench said: “This was a serious incident which could have ended up in tragedy.
“However, we only have evidence of minor harm physically to the victim.”
Dal’s mitigation saw him receive a 24-week sentence suspended for 18 months.
He will be subject to a monitoring tag and curfew between 7pm and 7am.
The magistrates said they would not order a victim surcharge or costs due to Dal’s “very limited” means.
Dal, speaking through a Turkish interpreter, said: “Thank you, I will follow the rules and obey the conditions.”
BNPSDal’s mitigation saw him receive a 24-week sentence suspended for 18 months[/caption]
BNPSHe will be subject to a monitoring tag and curfew between 7pm and 7am[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
