 |
| Victim Mr Singh, who lifted his anonymity for photographers Pic: Barbara Evripidou |
December 03, 2014: POLICE have apologised for being overly lenient towards a group of drunk women who racially abused a Sikh taxi driver before one of them tore off his turban and burnt it.
Bristol's Sikh community were in uproar after learning that only one of the women responsible for the abuse had been pursued for the religiously-aggravated crime, and she had only received a caution.
It was only after a sizeable community campaign had been mounted, with the support of SARI (Stand Against Racism & Inequality), that the Avon and Somerset force agreed to re-examine how the attack had been handled.
At a press conference at SARI's offices in St Paul's last night a spokesman for the Sikh community said officers had treated the incident in Bishopsworth in September 19, 2013, as minor and seemed more concerned "moving the driver on" than bringing the women to book.
The driver, who asked only to be known as Mr Singh, had agreed to take five women to Swindon in the early hours of the morning. As he was unsure they would be able to pay him, he asked for the fare to be paid up front.
He drove the women to a cash point but they were unable to come up with the £105 fare, prompting the driver to refuse the job.
Mr Singh was then subjected to a tirade of foul language and verbal abuse, being called a "Paki" and "Bin Laden", before he and his vehicle were physically attacked. One of the group then pulled off his turban and set fire to it in front of him.
After Sikh community leaders had called for the offence to be taken more seriously, police eventually agreed to rescind the caution and bring full criminal charges against the woman who burnt the turban.
She admitted religiously aggravated discrimination and was fined £366 last month. Tearful, the woman apologised to her victim in court.
Mukhtyar Singh, speaking on behalf of the Sikh community last night, said it was unacceptable for the officer who was called to the scene to have made a unilateral decision to issue a caution.
He said: "It was evident from the outset this case was not handled properly or treated with the gravity it deserved. The victim and his young family have gone through a deeply traumatic experience, which left them humiliated, frightened and disillusioned with the law and order system."
Alex Raikes, inset, interim director for SARI, said: "This result has been a long time coming. It has taken over a year to reach resolution for those affected."
Police area commander of Bristol, Chief Superintendent Jon Reilly, said the issuing of a caution had been a mistake.
He said: "We acknowledge our mistake in issuing a caution in the first instance and we are very sorry for the delay and upset caused by this.
"The application to rescind the original caution and bring the case to court instead had to be cleared by the regional Chief Crown Prosecutor and then by the CPS in London, and this process took some time.
"However I hope the recent result at court underlines the seriousness of the circumstances and the extreme offence caused by burning a turban.
"This should send a powerful message that hate crime in all its forms will not be tolerated. The victim and his family have conducted themselves with the utmost dignity from the outset, despite the devastating impact on them.
"I hope the outcome of this case has renewed the confidence of the victim, and the Sikh community as a whole, in our determination to challenge this kind of unacceptable behaviour. Hate crime is abhorrent and we will not tolerate it."