Frustrated takeaway owner Ali Acer cut a teenager with a knife during a street confrontation after his sign was stolen.

The 34-year-old grappled with the 17-year-old after spotting a gang of youths taking the sign outside his fast food restaurant, Santis Friendly Fryer, in High Street, Cheadle.

During the scuffle, which followed months of provocation by local youths, a knife sliced through the youth’s clothing, leading to him being cut.

Now Turkish national Acer has been handed a suspended prison sentence at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court.

Prosecutor Philip Vollans said the altercation had started when a group of youths walked past Acer’s takeaway on February 12 this year.

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Ali Acer

He said: “One of the individuals in this group of teenagers took the sign that was outside the shop.

“The defendant then came out with a knife in his hand and he asked them ‘who stole my f*****g sign?’.

“He confronted the victim and a grapple ensued with each of them grabbing each other.”

The court heard the scuffle continued until Acer released his grip and went back into his shop.

The victim, who didn’t realise he was injured at first, responded by throwing the stolen sign through the glass door.

He received a youth offending team resolution for the criminal damage.

In a victim impact statement, he said he kept replaying the incident in his head and it had left him with a short fuse.

Acer pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and possession of a knife in a public place.

Catherine O’Reilly, mitigating, said Acer had now closed the takeaway and had moved to London – although he still has a 24-year-lease on the unit.

She said: “He accepts there was no defence for his actions on this occasion. There had been a degree of provocation.

“He is clearly remorseful for his actions and he bitterly regrets what he did. He is not an aggressive man.

“This has had a massive impact on this defendant both psychologically and financially. He is now nearly £100,000 in debt when his only aim was to work. That was all he wanted to do.

“He has a family who live elsewhere and wanted he support them. He is now in a position where he cannot do that.”

Fantis's Friendly Fryer in Cheadle before it closed

Acer, who has no previous convictions, was sentenced to 12 months in prison, suspended for 18 months.

He was also ordered to pay £380 in costs and compensation.

Judge David Fletcher told him: “You were plagued by youths verbally and racially abusing you outside your shop.

“You saw someone carrying the sign and you were aware you had in your hand a knife and you very foolishly took that knife into the street.

“There was an altercation in the street and during that altercation the knife cut through his clothes and cut his skin.”



