Sohail Sindho, the beauty supply owner who was filmed choking a 31-year-old Black female customer inside his South London shop, claimed he lost everything after the video went viral. Protestors have been standing outside of the beauty supply store, demanding that the entrepreneur be held accountable.
“I have nothing in my pocket now, and I’m living off loans from my friends and family. Things are getting worse every day,” Sindho told MyLondon during an interview Oct. 10.
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Sindho, the owner of Peckham Hair and Cosmetics, said he lost £700,000 (around USD 852,432.00) and was forced to sell his beauty supply after the Sept.11 incident.
Now, the 45-year-old former retail shop and his children are hiding out “in the countryside” until things smooth over, but the entrepreneur claimed he doesn’t have enough money to feed his family.
“My kids haven’t had a warm meal in a month. They have been eating bread with jam and chocolate,” he said.
Sindho alleged he only tried to detain the woman when he grabbed her by the throat.
On. Sept. 11, tension sparked between Sindho and the Black female customer after he reportedly refused to refund her three wigs worth £7.99 each (around $9.74), according to the Daily Mail. He claimed he informed the customer that there were no refunds but offered to exchange the items.
Sindho alleged that the woman tried to leave the beauty supply with additional items after he offered her the credit. He claimed he was only trying to “detain” the woman and stop her from fleeing when he put his hands around her throat and choked her.
“If somebody is going to steal, everybody has the right to save his property. If you watch the videos, I’ve acted in self-defense,” the shop owner told MyLondon. “It was in my rights to do these things. If I have done something wrong, people should go to the police and launch a complaint against me so the police can come and hold me accountable.”
In the viral video, the entrepreneur can be seen blocking the woman as she tries to exit the shop. Visibly upset and frustrated, the woman can be seen holding several items as she argues with Sindho. At one point, the store owner pushes the Black female shopper back into the store before grabbing her by the throat and choking her briefly.
“Call the police,” the woman shouts as she attempts to break free. “This man just strangled me.”
An 18-year-old witness who filmed the video alleged that Sindho “dragged” the woman back inside the store when she attempted to leave.
“She was asking for a refund, and they told her that is not possible. So she went to the shop, and she told them that if you’re not gonna get my refund, I want to get what I’m supposed to get for my money,” the witness told MyLondon. “When she tried to leave the shop, the guy pushed her. He pushed her out, and then he became aggressive.”
Police reportedly arrested and bailed the woman on suspicion of assault charges, but they didn’t detain Sindho following the alleged choking incident, the Mirror UK reported.
A protest sparked outside Peckham Hair and Cosmetics Beauty Supply shortly after the video went viral.
Since the incident, protesters have been standing outside Peckham Hair and Cosmetics, rallying to support the woman who Sindho manhandled. The incident has sparked outrage in the community and a larger protest denouncing violence against Black women.
In a video obtained by the Telegraph Sept. 13, protesters could be heard chanting, “Shut it down” as they rallied in front of the shop. An employee working under the new management claimed that the new store owners were losing cash every day due to the protests.
“There are now protests outside the shop telling people to not shop here. It’s cost us 80% of business each day, about £3,000 ($3,656.52 ),” the Peckham Hair and Cosmetics employee alleged.
“We’ve been closed for a month too, and that’s £3,000 per day.”
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