Daouda Sy, 21, was high on Spice when he carried out the random attack in Sheffield city centre

Monday 26 August - A Muslim has been jailed for 12 years for attacking a man with a machete outside a branch of McDonald’s.

Daouda Sy, 21, was high on Spice when he carried out the random attack in Sheffield city centre, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.

Sy shouted that the 47-year-old victim 'did not believe in God' before hitting him on the head with the curved 18in (46cm) blade.

He was jailed at Sheffield Crown Court after admitting wounding with intent….

The CPS said the victim, who had been bleeding from the head wound, ran into a nearby branch of McDonald’s fearing for his life.

Sy followed him inside and shouted again, 'If you don’t believe in God… I’ll kill you all.'

Customers and staff inside the branch believed they were witnessing some sort of terrorist attack, the CPS said, with one witness saying they thought they were 'going to die in a massacre'.

Jonathan Sharp, of the CPS, said: 'Daouda Sy was a regular user of the street drug Spice and was well aware of the effect it had on him, having already been prosecuted for brandishing an axe whilst under its influence in March 2018.'

Editor's comment - Jonathan Sharp, of the CPS, did not address the fact that Sy screamed that his victim 'did not believe in God' and inside the McDonald’s screamed 'If you don’t believe in God, I’ll kill you all,' making one of the patrons think he or she was “going to die in a massacre.”

Why did Sy’s regular use of the drug Spice lead him to adopt the violent understanding of Islam that Sharp and his ilk no doubt insist is a perversion of the true, peaceful teachings of the religion? Why don’t other users of Spice become violently pious? Could there be another explanation for Sy’s actions that makes better sense of them than his use of Spice? Of course, British authorities will never consider that possibility. To do so would be 'Islamophobic.'