Man who head butted Muslim doctor escapes jail sentence

Categories: Latest News
Wednesday March 16 2016
The Nottingham Post reports that a man who assaulted a Muslim doctor on the streets of Nottingham last October has received a fine and a suspended sentence.
Aidan Fletcher, 23, admitted a charge of racially aggravated assault by beating when he appeared before Nottingham Magistrates Court in February. The court heard that Fletcher had told Dr Syeda Jafari to “go back to your country” before headbutting her on 29 October 2015. Dr Jafari suffered a concussion-related headache and had a series of counselling sessions to deal with the trauma caused by the incident.
In court this week, Fletcher was sentenced to a six-month prison term, suspended for two years and ordered to do 140 hours of unpaid work, as well as paying the £500 compensation to the victim and £280 in costs.
The judgment requires Fletcher to attend 40 sessions with probation officers to face up to his actions.
Last month, Magistrate Richard Walker told Fletcher that the probation service would be tasked with preparing on an “all-options basis – including the possibility of custody.”
In response to the sentence, Dr Jafari said “I am disappointed in a way because we were expecting a jail sentence.”