An IT consultant has admitted assaulting two Aberdeen schoolboys who he claims were “harassing” him outside his home.
Amr Hamed, 31, told Aberdeen Sheriff Court that he attacked the two boys when his frustration “boiled over” due to the students targeting his flat with antisocial behaviour.
Hamed, a software consultant and PHD student, said he had complained to both the police and the school about the teenagers – who he claims were throwing cigarette butts on his doorstep, smoking cannabis and repeatedly buzzing his doorbell.
He punched one 15-year-old boy in the head and kneed another teenager to the face.
The attack took place on Albert Lane, Aberdeen, on June 10 last year.
Hamed pleaded guilty to two charges of assault that he struck one boy to the head with his leg and punched another pupil.
Fiscal depute Rebecca Thompson told the court that at around 10am on the morning of the attack the two schoolboys were outside Hamed’s flat when one of them went in to ring his flat buzzer “to cause him annoyance”.
However, after approaching the door, Ms Thompson said the boy decided not to and walked away.
She added: “At around 10.50am on the same date the witnesses were sitting on a small wall when they were approached by the accused who asked them whether they had rung his doorbell, to which they replied that they had not.
“The accused thereafter struck one of the boys to the chin with his right knee and punched the other boy to the head with his right fist.”
Hamed was arrested, cautioned and charged by police at around 3pm the same day.
‘Unfortunately, his frustration boiled over’
Defence agent Michael Burnett told the court that at the time of the offence Hamed was working from his home where he lived with his family.
The solicitor claimed that Hamed had experienced repeated acts of antisocial behaviour from school pupils.
He stated that students had been loitering outside Hamed’s home and were repeatedly leaving litter, smoking cigarettes and on one occasion smoking cannabis.
“The matter escalated to the extent that cannabis was being smoked on June 3 last year and he raised a complaint with the headteacher of the school,” Mr Burnett said.
“The response he got was that he should raise the matter with the police.
“Over the next few days he continued to be harassed by these pupils and reported matters to Police Scotland and nothing was done.
“On the date libelled Mr Hamed saw the complainers outside his home and watched them, as he puts it, scattering cigarette butts on his front door – and they saw him and carried on doing it.
“He then spoke to them and asked them to stop and went back into his flat and then saw them approach the entrance to the flat area and the buzzer was rung repeatedly.
“It’s stated by the crown that they didn’t do that, but it is his position that they did.
“He then felt it was necessary to go back out, he remonstrated with them and unfortunately his frustration boiled over and here we are today.”
Mr Burnett also asked for the court to consider an absolute discharge for his client – who is an Egyptian national – over fears that the incident could affect his right to work in the UK.
Sheriff Lesly Johnston deferred sentence on Hamed, now of Burntbroom Drive, Glasgow, in order for a criminal justice social work report to be carried out.
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