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Vile racist Rezzas Abdulla spat in a baby’s face and told her shocked mum “white people shouldn’t breed” in a disgraceful street attack.

Hairdresser Rebecca Telford was wheeling nine-month-old Layla-Jean through South Shields when Abdulla launched the unprovoked afternoon assault, leaning into her pushchair to spit on her.

The little girl was left covered in saliva, which sprayed across her face in the disgusting attack.

A court heard Abdulla has previous for race hate offences and has “a problem with white women”.

But now the 33-year-old, who has some mental health issues, has walked free from Newcastle Crown Court on a suspended prison sentence.

Miss Telford told police in a victim impact statement: “I am completely disgusted and distressed that a grown man, regardless of race or religion, would spit on a defenceless baby in a completely unprovoked attack.

“If he had just walked by I would not have even noticed him, there was no eye contact and no words had been exchanged. I had never seen him before.

“I believe he spat on her purely because we are white, I was a lone female and an easy target.”

(Image: Newcastle Chronicle)

The court heard the mother and baby were heading down Chichester Road, in South Shields, last January when they had to misfortune to encounter Abdulla, who approached without warning.

Prosecutor Emma Dowling said: “He leant into the pushchair and spat into the face of her daughter.

“As he did so, he shouted or said ‘white people shouldn’t breed’ then walked off.”

The court heard when the baby’s stunned mother confronted Abdulla, he told her to “shut the **** up” and walked off.

A shocked passer-by gave Ms Telford a tissue to clean the saliva off the child’s face.

The mum attempted to take a picture of her baby’s attacker as he walked away but was too shaken by what had happened.

Layla-Jean was taken to the doctor after the attack for tests.

Abdulla, of Imeary Street, South Shields, who has two previous convictions for race-hate offences on white females, was later tracked down through CCTV.

He was found guilty of racially aggravated common assault after a trial at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court, which he did not attend.

He was given eight months suspended for 18 months, with rehabilitation and mental health treatment requirements.

Sentencing him, Recorder Darren Preston said: “There is something viscerally horrible and disgusting about spitting at someone, particularly in the face and to do so to a baby was particularly disgusting, let alone, to make things even worse, when your motivation for doing so is racial hatred.

“You have got a problem, it seems to me, with white women.”

The court heard after the attack last January, Abdulla spent time, between July and September, receiving psychiatric treatment in hospital, which has continued after his release into the community.

The judge said Abdulla’s deteriorating mental health at the time of the attack contributed towards the offence.

Recorder Preston added that society would be better served by Abdulla being allowed to continue his psychiatric treatment.

Vic Laffey, mitigating, said medical evidence shows Abdulla’s mental health was deteriorating in the six months leading to his hospital admission with schizophrenia last summer and he now receives anti-psychotic treatment in the community.

Mr Laffey added: “The suggests he was ill, or becoming ill, at the time this offence was committed.

“He is clearly vulnerable himself, he has significant support from his family and is making progress.”