Man convicted of abusing Asian security guard loses sentence appeal

Categories: Latest News
Wednesday September 07 2016
The Scunthorpe Telegraph reports on a man losing his appeal against his sentence for a racially aggravated public order offence which he committed while serving a suspended sentence for a prior conviction for racist assault and abuse.
William Campbell, 35, pleaded guilty to racially aggravated assault and racially aggravated public order and shop theft when he appeared before North Lincolnshire magistrates’ court last July in relation to an incident at a 99p store in Scunthorpe in April 2015 involving an Eastern European security guard.
The court heard that Campbell had told the guard to “F*** o**” when the guard asked to check his bags. He then pushed the guard who staggered backwards. As the guard tried to get to Campbell’s female accomplice, Campbell stepped between them and said: “You ******* immigrant. Go back to your country you ****. I will knock you out.” As the guard tried to approach again, Campbell shouted: “**** off you immigrant. I will put a knife in you.”
Campbell was given a 16-week prison sentence suspended for 12 months.
Then, on 12 July 2016, days before his suspended sentence was due to expire, Campbell committed another racially aggravated offence against a security guard, this time against an Asian security guard at a Sainsbury’s store in Scunthorpe.
Campbell was seen removing a £19.99 bottle of whisky from a shelf and was detained as he was leaving the store by two guards.
When Campbell was asked by the guard how he had managed to remove the security tag from the whisky bottle, he replied: “**** off!”
Prosecutor David Baines told the court Campbell “threatened to bite the security guard.”
“He struck out and hit one saying: “What are you doing? You P*** b******.”
Campbell pleaded guilty to charges of shoplifting, racially aggravated public order and possession of heroin and was given a 26-week prison sentence by North Lincolnshire Magistrates’ Court on August 4.
Last week, Campbell sought to appeal against his sentence at Hull Crown Court. The court heard Campbell regarded the sentence as “excessive” because he was almost to the end of his suspended sentence.
But Judge Mark Bury said: “We can well understand why the magistrates thought the custody threshold was crossed. He was told by his lawyers that he should keep out of trouble. In shops he threatened to knock one of them out and called him an immigrant and a P***. The incidents are remarkable similar. He has clearly not learnt one lesson at all.”
Campbell’s appeal was dismissed.