Asian taxi driver knocked to the floor and stamped on in "despicable" drunken attack in RedditchA BROMSGROVE man has pleaded guilty to a "despicable" drunken attack on Asian taxi driver.
The driver was knocked to the floor and stamped on in Redditch on Boxing Day last year, Worcester Crown Court heard.
He was targeted because of his colour and one of the men involved shouted racist abuse at him.
Caitlyn Orchard, prosecuting, told the court taxi driver Nadeem Naz had been outside the White Hart Inn in Redditch at about 10.30pm on Friday, December 26 last year talking to a fellow driver.
Rhys Lakin from Redditch, Brandon Newman from Bromsgrove, and another man who has not been identified walked past and Lakin made a racially offensive comment.
He said "we're going to do you, we're from the EDL," Miss Orchard told the court.
Mr Naz got into his car for protection but they started kicking the door and punching the window before Lakin opened the door and pulled him out.
"Mr Naz said, 'why are you doing this?'" Miss Orchard told the court.
They started punching him, knocking him to the ground.
Lakin then stamped on him as he tried to shield himself with his hands before other taxi drivers came to his rescue and the three men ran off.
The two were found later in a nightclub and identified.
Lakin, aged 21, of Birchfield Road, Redditch, was charged with racially aggravated assault and 19-year-old Newman, of Alderley Road, Bromsgrove, with common assault.
Both pleaded guilty at the start of a trial.
Charles Hamer, for Newman, said he had a young son and was now determined to be a good role model.
He had several previous convictions but had kept out of trouble since the offence last year.
Lewis Perry, defending Lakin, said he accepted making the racist comments and was ashamed of his behaviour. He realised he was lucky the taxi driver was not more seriously hurt.
Judge Abbas Mithani, QC, said it had been a "despicable" offence.
"This was gratuitous violence and he was singled out because of his colour," he said.
"Any type of behaviour that results in a person being attacked because of race or religion is utterly unacceptable. It rightly generates a considerable amount of revulsion among the public."
Lakin was given 30 weeks immediate custody in a young offenders institution. Newman was given a sentence of nine weeks suspended for two years with supervision for 12 months and 10 sessions of the reducing violence programme.
He was also ordered to do 200 hours unpaid work.
source:
http://www.kidderminstershuttle.co.uk/n ... _Redditch/
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