Shop worker Yaaqob Saleh sexually assaulted the woman after inviting her in to charge her mobile phone
Yaaqob Saleh outside Liverpool Magistrates’ Court(Image: Liverpool Echo)
A St Patrick’s Day celebration turned into a nightmare for a 19-year-old student when she was assaulted in a Liverpool city centre off-licence. The woman had been enjoying a night out with friends when she went into Liverpool One Newsagents and Convenience Store on Whitechapel last year, looking to charge her phone so she could call a taxi home.
Shop worker Yaaqob Saleh, 20, invited her to sit near a heater on steps beside the till, and sat down beside her. He then sexually assaulted her, pushing his hand up her skirt and attempting to kiss her.
Speaking to the ECHO, the woman said: “I messaged one of my friends as it was happening and he tried to take my phone off me and said ‘no, you’re OK’. The second he went to deal with a customer I just ran out of the shop.”
The victim later told her mum what had happened, and her mum called the police. Saleh, of Wendell Street in Toxteth, denied sexual assault, but was found guilty after a trial at Liverpool Magistrates Court in December last year.
The victim said: “It was so hard being put questions, especially because his lawyer obviously was trying to prove that I was lying. It was something that will stick with me for the rest of my life. I felt like no matter what I said, no one would believe me. Especially because there was no CCTV proof. I was saying this had happened to me and he was just denying it.
“I thought why would I put myself through such a scary process if I was lying? I messaged my friend as it was happening and I talked to my mum after, so they appeared as witnesses.”
When Saleh was found guilty, she said: “I started crying I was so happy. I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. From March until December it was all I was thinking about.
“Liverpool is a common place to go out. I had to walk past this shop all the time and it was terrifying. At the time I had shown him my ID in the shop, so I was nervous to walk out of my house. I was scared that he was going to be angry at me for calling the police.”
She said the assault had impacted her mental health and caused her to feel “so scared I couldn’t even leave the house”, meaning she was forced to postpone important exams.
In a statement read out in court on Tuesday, January 13, she said: “Since this incident, I’ve experienced a wide and overwhelming range of emotions. Anxiety, depression and anger have been the most persistent.
“In the weeks and months following the assault, I began to struggle deeply with sleep. I still suffer from regular nightmares, which cause me frequently to wake throughout the night. These episodes have created a fear of sleep and a constant feeling of emotional exhaustion.
“One of the most significant effects has been the loss of my independence. Before the assault, I was confident and self assured. I felt safe travelling alone, making decisions for myself and simply existing in the world. That sense of security has been stripped away.
“I now rely on my parents to meet me or accompany me when going out. I constantly feel as though what happened once could happen again. This loss of independence brought with it an overwhelming sense of grief. I felt as though a vital part of my identity had been taken away without my consent. My self worth deteriorated. I began to feel as though my body was somehow wrong or repulsive, and I blamed myself.”
Saleh was due to be sentenced that day. However, this was adjourned until January 29 after his solicitor, Bushra Anwar, admitted she did not have the “professional experience and expertise to conduct a criminal sentencing exercise”.
District Judge James Hatton said: “It is not fair on a defendant who is charged with very serious matters, where the starting point is a custodial sentence, for him to be represented in that way.”