A petrol station manager who was ?terrorised? by teenage thugs for several weeks has slammed the legal system after he himself was prosecuted - for chasing them.
Suhel Dalal, 30, ran after the yobs after they repeatedly shouted racist abuse at customers and stole from his shelves.
Mr Dalal said the youngsters targeted his BP garage in Bradford, West Yorks., more than 20 times in the last six months and continued to loiter outside the 24-hour petrol station at all hours.
But despite having CCTV footage showing the yobs constantly stealing from the shop, police officers have repeatedly told Mr Dalal the value of the stolen goods was not enough for them to take it further.
One evening he?d finally had enough and charged after the gang of shoplifting thugs from his store with an iron bar on April 11.
?I just grabbed the stick for protection. I didn?t use it at any point,? he said. "I was just trying to defend the premises,? he added.
He was charged and later pleaded guilty to using threatening words and behaviour and obstructing a police officer.
Mr Dalal was sentenced to a 12 month conditional discharge at Bradford Crown Court by Judge Colin Burn.
The petrol station?s owner Yakub Valli has also urged the police to do more to stop the antisocial behaviour.
?The gang would come into the store and one would hold the door open and the rest of them would steal stuff,? he said.
?We started to lock the doors and they then started causing a nuisance on the forecourt. They started smoking out there, which is really dangerous, as well as taking money out of the forecourt machines and damaging the jetwash machine.
"Last Sunday they were all throwing coal and firewood all around the forecourt,? he added.
"The police are just helpless. We don?t get any help from them even when we give them good CCTV. They say it is not enough to take it further,? he said.
?It has affected my home life and I felt I might have to leave my job. I?ve been working here for five years and never had anything like what we?ve had in the last six months before.
"There are gangs of eight to 10 standing outside trying to provoke us. It?s intimidating,? he added.
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