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A hotel migrant who attacked a worker at a Subway was caught when he returned to the sandwich shop a few hours later as a driver for Just Eat. Abdoela Berhan, an Eritrean asylum seeker, turned violent when staff member Sahjan Chowdhury tried to make him leave for being aggressive and a nuisance to customers.

The 35-year-old spat at and kicked Mr Chowdhury, then fled the shop before the police could arrive. However, staff identified Berhan later that day when he returned to pick up food orders for his delivery job.

Police traced him to a nearby taxpayer-funded hotel in Bournemouth, Dorset, where he lives. He tried to claim he was the one who was assaulted and accused the staff of being racist. When he was shown CCTV of the incident he then said he had acted in self-defence.

He has been found guilty of assault at a trial held in his absence after he failed to show up. The incident happened at 4.50am on November 30, 2024, at Subway on Holdenhurst Road in Bournemouth which is close to the Britannia Hotel, one of three migrant hotels in the town.

Mr Chowdhury told Poole Magistrates' Court Berhan seemed drunk and waving £20 notes in people's faces but refused to join the queue.

Laura Lohk, prosecuting, said: "It was very early in the morning but there were other members of the public in the shop.

"The defendant came in and appeared to be drunk. He became aggressive and caused a nuisance to members of staff and also members of the public.

"He spat towards the staff and it hit the glass which covers the food. Staff came out from behind the counter and asked the defendant to leave the shop."

Mr Chowdhury said: "All of a sudden he spitted, he tried to spit on us but there's glass on the place where we put our food.

"But that's a food safety concern so I couldn't take it easy, I went to him and asked him to leave. He tried to start a fight with me."

Another member of staff described Berhan as "aggressive and bullying" and wouldn't listen when people tried to reason with him. He said Berhan was shouting, sometimes in English, sometimes in his own language and they could not understand him.

Ms Lohk said: "The defendant visited the Subway shop a little later on when he was a Just Eat driver and the staff recognised and identified him in that way.

"Police made some enquiries and arrested the defendant. In interview he admitted he was there. He initially denied spitting and kicking. He stated he was the one who was assaulted.

"He went into Subway as a customer, gave one of the staff a £5 note and they said they wanted to check if it was real. This annoyed him and there was a verbal altercation, calling the staff racist. But he denied spitting, it was just verbal.

"He said the victim is the person who assaulted him, he came out form behind the counter, approached him and punched him. He felt fear for his safety and his life as the victim was in the kitchen before and there's knives in there, implying he had a knife.

"After seeing the CCTV he said he was acting in self-defence."

The magistrates said they found the case proved on the "very clear evidence" and found Berhan guilty of assault. A warrant was issued for his arrest and Berhan remains at large.