Worker hurt in tussle with youth

STAFF at a Gospel Oak off-licence say they fear for their lives after repeated attacks from gangs of teenagers.
Christian Armadori, 29, and Moreno Beia, 22, who work at Unwin’s off-licence store in Mansfield Road, have been punched, threatened with knives and hammers and been spat on by gangs of boys and girls aged 14 to 15.
Last week, Mr Beia was punched in the face and spent three hours at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead after trying to restrain a boy who was attempting to steal bags of sweets from the shop.
Police were given tapes from the shop’s CCTV camera, but officers were unable to identify the attacker because the gang wore hooded tops.
Mr Armadori, a journalist in his native Italy who arrived in London seven months ago to improve his English, says he and his colleague are now at their wits’ end.
He said: “They come in sometimes 10 to 15 at a time, sometimes with a hammer. One 14-year-old girl threw a box of chips at me and spat at me when I spoke to her.
“We are very vulnerable because often we are working late at night on our own.
“There is little support from the head office and the police seem unable to do anything.”
Mr Armadori added: “I thought London was many years ahead of us but I have been shocked. In Italy we would fine the parents if their children were doing such things.”
Mr Beia, originally from Milan, is now looking for another job. He said: “Even some of our customers tell us to get another job. We just want to work in a safe environment.”
A police spokesman said: “We are already doing high visibility patrols in the area and are working on giving shopkeepers a specific number to call us on so they won’t have to go through to the control centre.”
A spokesman for Unwin’s said he could not comment on individual cases but added they would take whatever measures were necessary to protect their staff.