Roofer in court for race attack

An Oswestry man who butted a Bangladeshi taxi driver in a racially-motivated attack has been spared jail.

Martin James, of Weston Close, Morda, was given an 18-week prison term suspended for 12 months at Oswestry Magistrates Court magistrates yesterday after he admitted carrying out the racially aggravated assault on the driver.

The 37-year-old must also carry out 150 hours of unpaid community work and was ordered to pay his victim £500 in compensation.

Mrs Becky Jones, prosecuting, said the cabbie was parked outside the Boar's Head pub in Oswestry in the early hours of January 10 when James got into his vehicle with another man.

James used racist language towards the driver when he was told the cost of his journey.

The taxi driver rang the police and James got out of the taxi and got into another one. The cabbie got out of his vehicle so he could make a note of the other taxi's registration so police could track James down.

James then approached the victim and butted him on his nose, causing a half-inch cut. In police interview, James said he was very drunk and was not a racist.

In a victim personal statement, the taxi driver said he was shocked and upset by the incident and had never been insulted or assaulted in that manner in 30 years of working in the UK.

Mr Alun Williams, for James, said his client was a self-employed roofer who was "mortified" about the incident and apologised.