Man 'didn't leave house for a week' after violent racist abuse

A delivery driver who was told to "go back where you came from" and had his car bricked said he didn't leave the house for a week as he feared it would happen again. Afnan Khan is one of several delivery drivers who have been targeted by a gang of teens who are reported to have shouted vile abuse at delivery drivers.

Afnan, 24, moved to Liverpool from Pakistan in April 2023 to study digital marketing at the University of Chester but since finishing his masters degree he has been working as a delivery driver for Uber Eats and Deliveroo. In recent months he and other delivery drivers have been targeted outside the McDonald's on Childwall Valley Road in Belle Vale. In a shocking account told to the ECHO, Afnan spoke about his fear of going to work and how people were left in tears when their cars were smashed by bricks and rocks.

He said: "It started with eggs being thrown on our cars while we were waiting for the food to be ready. They would throw them all over our cars and then they started throwing rubbish. When our windows were open they put the rubbish in our cars. After that they started to throw stones.

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"It was when they started to throw stones that police said we should start parking on the other side of the car park instead of outside McDonald's but there's about 15 to 20 kids in this gang. They came over to this one man who was parked up by himself, they started throwing stuff at his car and then he got out. That's when they started throwing glass bottles at him and he was all by himself. He just started crying.

"This keeps happening and it's happened about 20 times. It's now become normal, there is nothing we can do."

But it was October 27 that proved to be the last straw for Afnan, after weeks of racist and violent abuse from the gang, they smashed the windscreen of his car and screamed at him "go back to where you came from". He continued: "I was [at McDonald's] and another delivery driver was there. The gang surrounded our cars and were wearing masks and gloves and they started to hit our cars.

"They had stones and that's when I called the police, I told them if they don't send anyone they are going to damage the cars. The police said they were on their way and in that moment I thought I was better to leave. I started my car and tried to leave, that's when they threw bricks on the front windscreen.

"I managed to get away and drove straight to the police station where I thought I would be safe. I rang police again and they said they were at McDonald's so I went back but they had gone. When I went back, the gang threw another brick. The police came back again two hours later, but it was too late. They had smashed five cars."

"I have been dealing with this for three or four months. I refuse to go back, my car was damaged three or four times. What happened with the bricks cost me £210 to fix the windscreen. That's three days' wages."

Speaking about the effect it has had on him, he said: "For one week, I didn't go outside, for a week I was upset. It was really horrifying and a really bad experience. I'm now thinking of leaving Liverpool. My friends and family are all telling me it would be safer to leave the city. When I moved here I thought it would be safe."

Merseyside Police confirmed officers are appealing for information after vehicles were damaged in the McDonald's car park in Belle Vale on Sunday, October 27. The force said it received reports that a group of youths wearing face coverings and had their hoods up while damaging a number of vehicles in the car park.

Police also confirmed it was reported that the group shouted racist abuse at the owners of the vehicles. CCTV enquiries are ongoing into the incident and officers are appealing for information. The force also acknowledged it is aware of other incidents at the McDonald's in Belle Vale and enquiries are ongoing.

Inspector Steve Reilly said: “We are taking this report extremely seriously. To target anyone because of their background or religious beliefs is completely unacceptable and won’t be tolerated in Merseyside.

“We are determined to find the males involved in this incident and inquiries are ongoing. If you witnessed what happened or have any information, please come forward.”

If you have information on this incident please contact @MerPolCC on X or ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’ on Facebook with reference 24000914435. You can also call 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously on 0800 555 111.

A McDonald’s spokesperson said: “This behaviour is totally unacceptable, at McDonald’s we have a zero-tolerance policy towards anti-social behaviour, and the safety and security of anyone visiting our restaurants remains our highest priority. We are committed to working together with Merseyside Police and local community stakeholders as we address the wider issue of anti-social behaviour in this area.”

An Uber Eats spokesperson said: “The safety of couriers who use the Uber Eats app is a top priority. We are appalled by what has been described and we are investigating this matter. We have a dedicated team that works with law enforcement in response to criminal complaints.”