A restaurant manager who attempted to cover up a serious assault that happened in his takeaway has been convicted of perverting the course of justice.
Sameer Hussain, 29, of Clarence Road, Hackney, destroyed forensic evidence and erased CCTV after two men were stabbed in the fast food restaurant.
The two men, aged 26 and 29, visited the fast food restaurant in Chatsworth Road, Hackney, and were attacked as they placed their order on December 23 last year.
Hussain was the manager in charge of the restaurant that night, and the subsequent police investigation found that although he was not involved in the stabbing, Hussain set about systematically covering up the crime after he witnessed it.
He also failed to call 999, leaving the two men to stagger into a nearby hospital, prompting detectives from Hackney CID to launch an investigation into the double stabbing.
Hussain told police officers who rushed to the scene that the shop's CCTV system was broken and had not been recording.
The investigation found that Hussain had deliberately erased the CCTV footage of the stabbing and had also used bleach to destroy the forensic evidence left behind in his shop.
As well as delaying and misleading the police investigation into the double stabbing, Hussain's actions had further serious consequences, as there was insufficient evidence left for the officers to charge anyone in connection with the stabbing.
Hussain was arrested on February 10 and was today convicted of perverting the course of justice at Wood Green Crown Court.
Hussain changed his plea to guilty on the first day of the trial.
He had already spent several months in prison on remand leading up to the trial, and taking this into account today Judge Ader sentenced him to a further 21 months' imprisonment, suspended for two years.
Detective Constable Ben Kahane, from Hackney CID, was the officer in charge of the investigation.
He said: "Through the actions of Hussain, two men were prevented from seeing justice done.
"Hussain arrogantly thought that by deleting CCTV footage and destroying forensic evidence there would be no consequences to his actions, and that the police would leave him and his business alone.
"Today's sentence sends out a clear message to those considering destroying evidence to frustrate police investigations. Should you actively attempt to obstruct the police and tamper with a crime scene, your actions will be investigated, you will be prosecuted and you may find yourself in prison."
The court also heard that the man who had been arrested in connection with the stabbing, but released due to insufficient evidence, was shot and wounded on February 5, in Hackney, in what is believed to have been a retaliation attack.
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