The defendant opened his jacket to show the victim his t-shirt, which declared “stop importing – start deporting”, before reaching into his backpack to pull out a red, black and white Nazi flag.
A man who wrapped a Nazi flag around his hand before punching a man in the face during a racist assault has been handed a suspended jail sentence.
Sentencing Jamie Taylor at Craigavon Magistrates Court, Deputy District Judge Gerard Trainor told the 36-year-old his attack was “racism through and through, naked.”
“Behaviour of this nature is unacceptable in any right-thinking society,” the judge declared and turning to Taylor demanded to know, “have you anything to say?”
“Sorry, Your Worship,” Taylor replied, “sorry to the injured party.”
“I am not convinced that you are,” Judge Trainor told him, adding that “the only question is whether you go to prison today, or the next day when you commit further offences.”
Taylor, from the Tandragee Road in Gilford, had earlier entered guilty pleas to charges of common assault, disorderly behaviour, criminal damage and resisting police, all committed on 27 February this year.
Today (Fri), a prosecuting lawyer outlined that it was around 08.30 am when the victim was standing outside the Baptist Church on Thomas Street when Taylor walked past.
The defendant opened his jacket to show the victim his t-shirt which declared “stop importing – start deporting” before reaching into his backpack to pull out a red, black and white Nazi flag.
After the victim called him a “racist c***,” Taylor told him “you have not seen f****** racism” and after wrapping the flag around his hand, punched him in the jaw.
The defendant left the scene but the court heard that when police arrived, they found that a Kia car had been covered in flour.
The prosecutor said there were “flour trails” which led police to the defendant.
During the arrest, Taylor resisted police, and the court heard that both the assault and the resisting police were aggravated due to hostility based on race.
Defence counsel Peter Canavan told the court that at the time, Taylor had been “heavily under the influence,” adding that “the context [of the offending] is accepted.”
Although he suggested the case could be met with a community-based disposal, Judge Trainor said, given the nature of the offending and the fact that Taylor had previously been on probation, any such option was out of the question.
Revealing that Taylor has 23 convictions, mainly for violence and disorderly behaviour, the judge said it was clear the defendant “had once persuaded probation that he is a reformed character and yet, here he is doing this.”
The victim was sitting in the public gallery and Mr Canavan conceded that his Victim Impact Statement made for “harrowing reading.”
“The injured party has articulated his concerns and what is a wider societal issue,” said the barrister, submitting that Taylor “has been pretty active in trying to address his issues.”
Judge Trainor said while he regularly dealt with defendants who were suffering from mental health or substance misuse issues, Taylor had acted in a “deliberate, pre-planned way, and that is not something that I can put down to mental health, for alcohol or anything.”
“This is racism through and through, naked,” the judge declared, outlining how the incident has had an impact on the victim and his family.
Imposing a six-month prison sentence, he added that given the contents of the report and the defence submissions, “I will suspend that for two years.”
In addition, Judge Trainor also imposed a two-year restraining order.
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