A 27-year-old
man has been jailed for five years for a racist
attack that killed a disabled refugee in Swansea.
Lee Mordecai-BBC |
Sentencing Lee Mordecai, the judge said Swansea did
not have the same racial problems as other cities
and the courts would not allow racism to flourish.
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Mordecai had previously admitted the manslaughter of
Iraqi Kurd Kalan Karim, 29, with a single blow to
the head in a city centre attack last September.
Mr Karim was tortured in Iraq and had had part of
his left leg amputated.
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Mr Karim was given leave to stay in the UK for four
years, and arrived in Swansea in 2003 having spent
some time in the north East of England. |
His death sparked a large anti-racism protest in
Swansea.
Last month Swansea Crown Court heard Mordecai was
drunk when he carried out the "cowardly, underhand,
and racially motivated" attack near the Kingsway in
the early hours of 5 September. Mr Karim later died
in hospital.
Paul Thomas QC, prosecuting, said at around 0139
GMT, Mordecai and a group of friends approached Mr
Karim and a friend at in the Kingsway area of the
city, where they were talking to a group of women.
Mordecai then became abusive, and said Mr Karim and
his friend should "go back to their country".
"One of the three girls remonstrated with him about
these remarks. Kalam Karim took no part in these
verbal exchanges. He did not get involved in any
way, verbally or physically.
"Lee Mordecai approached Kalam Karim and hit him
with a blow from the side and rear. This blow landed
to the area of what witnesses describe as his neck
or throat area.
Mordecai initially denied murder but changed his
plea when the lesser charge of manslaughter was put
to him.
The prosecution said this was only done after
discussions with Mr Karim's family and police.
Sentencing Mordecai on Thursday Mr Justice Roderick
Evans said: "I accept fully that from the evidence
you have placed before me that you are not an
entrenched racist.
"However, I have no doubt either that this incident
was motivated by race. You picked on Mr Karim
because he was of a different racial background from
yours.
"Swansea has a small ethnic minority community.
"It would not be right to say that there is no
racially motivated crime in Swansea, but Swansea
does not have the major problem that some cities in
England and Wales have, and Swansea should not allow
itself to get into a position where that kind of
problem exists and flourishes.
"The courts will do whatever they can to ensure
racially motivated crime will not be tolerated in
Swansea and people who commit such crimes will be
severely dealt with."
http://www.bbc.co.uk
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