Man jailed for baked bean attack

A Plymouth man has been jailed for punching a stranger and then throwing juice cartons and cans of baked beans at him. Ben Draper, aged 23, racially abused the man, spat at him and followed him into a shop where he hurled food at him, Plymouth Crown Court heard. Harem Mohammed was struck by a triple-pack of tinned baked beans on the arms and by two cartons of juice drink on the chest.



Jailing him for a total of nine months, Judge Paul Darlow said: “This was foul-mouthed yobbery involving the threat and use of violence over a period of time.” Draper, of Prince Rock, admitted racially-aggravated assault and an earlier offence of possession of an offensive weapon. Julia Cox, for the Crown Prosecution Service, said Draper approached Mr Mohammed in Stonehouse at about 7pm. She said the defendant, smelling of drink, called him a racist name and then punched him, knocking him to the ground.

Miss Cox said two other men then joined Draper and Mr Mohammed ran into nearby Neswick Street Stores. She added Draper followed and spat at the man three or four times. Miss Cox said: “He threw two drink cartons at the complainant, which hit him in the chest area. Draper then threw a three-pack of baked beans toward his head. Mr Mohammed put his arms up and the tins hit his arms. He then shouted, ‘Do you know I am? I am Ben Draper’.”



The court heard Draper had a long record for offences of dishonesty, drugs and violence. Miss Cox said that he was caught with a knuckle duster. He told police he needed to protect himself from “Scousers”. Ali Rafati, for Draper, said: “He is a very different man when he has drink in him.” He added he had the knuckle duster to protect himself and had complained of assaults to the police in the past. Judge Darlow jailed him for six months for the assault and three months consecutively for possession of the offensive weapon.