UK
Golders Green kosher supermarket knifeman spared jail
Gabriel Abdullah, 34, was handed two suspended sentences by a judge
June 13, 2024 11:51
Gabriel Abdullah, 34, was handed two suspended sentences by a judge
June 13, 2024 11:51A knifeman who terrorised staff at a kosher supermarket has been spared a prison sentence by a judge.
Gabriel Abdullah, 34, was arrested in January after storming a Golders Green shop with a large blade and demanding to hear people’s views on “Israel and Palestine".
Though police initially treated the attack as a hate crime, he was charged with affray and possession of a knife.
Abdullah pleaded guilty and has now been handed two concurrent suspended sentences, along with a nine month alcohol treatment requirement.
The Barnet resident was given 18 months imprisonment, suspended for two years, and 12 months imprisonment, again suspended for two years.
His lawyer had claimed in court that the incident was, “more linked to alcohol, which he was using as a crutch to self-medicate.”
Reacting to the verdict, Yosef Reitman, who intervened to prevent the attack, told GB News: “When I first heard about the suspended sentence I was utterly surprised.
“The fact he is basically out after threatening a bunch of people is crazy.”
Condemning the sentence as “way too lenient,” Reitman said he planned to ask for an appeal.
Speaking to the JC earlier this year, Evyatar Reitman, 48, said he had to fight off Abdullah when he approached them with “hate in his eyes”.
He claimed: “He came to ask about Israel Palestine and seemed to want us to say we were pro-Israel so he had a reason to attack.”
Reitman’s son, Yosef Chaim, used his martial arts skills to fight off Abdullah.
During the trial, Abdullah’s barrister, Matthew Ness, told the court his client suffers from paranoid schizophrenia.
“Mental health contributed to this offence,” he said.
“Mr Abdullah said his mental health issues had never caused him to leave the house with a knife before, and he attributed this to a very high alcohol intake.”