Attacker racially abused victim then hit him with pool cue (From Malvern Gazette)
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Attacker racially abused victim then hit him with pool cue
10:10am Sunday 3rd February 2013 in News
AN argument over playing pool in a Worcestershire pub led a 31-year-old man to racially abuse another man and hit him on the head with a cue.
Christopher Spires, of Churchill Road, Sedgeberrow, Evesham, was jailed for nine months after the court was told he swore at Gideon George and made references to him being black.
Alex Warren, prosecuting, told Worcester Crown Court Mr George had gone to Ruby Jack’s, Bewdley Street, Evesham, on August 30 last year with friends.
They put money on the pool table for three games but during the first one, Spires started leaning on the table and nudging Mr George as he played.
When the game finished, Mr George started to set up the next one but Spires said it was his turn and made a racist comment. He then grabbed Mr George’s cue, reversed it and swung it with both hands, hitting him with the thicker end just above the left eye.
Mr George took hold of the cue and they both fell to the floor before being separated.
As police led Spires away, he saw Mr George, who needed three stitches to the cut, and shouted “I’m glad your face got smashed in,” and made more racist comments. He then spat towards Mr George, who said in a victim statement he was now wary of going out at night in Evesham.
Nicholas Roberts, defending, said Spires was deeply ashamed of his actions.
He had drunk eight cans of beer and some brandy and whisky on the night of the incident. He said Spires was not a racist and would not have made the comments if he had not been drinking.
“He accepts his comments were deeply offensive,” Mr Roberts said.
The court was told that he had 27 convictions for 87 offences but the majority of these were thefts to finance his 10-year heroin and crack cocaine habit, which he was now taking steps to tackle.
Spires pleaded guilty at South Worcestershire Magistrates Court to the offences in December and was committed for sentence.
He was given six months for assault causing actual bodily harm and three months consecutively for racial harassment.
Comments(14)
Biggles
says...
6:10pm Sun 3 Feb 13
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Not sure I'd want to be in any pub/club that allow people like that in !
Biggles
says...
6:10pm Sun 3 Feb 13
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Not sure I'd want to be in any pub/club that allow people like that in !
davidcollier1
says...
7:53am Mon 4 Feb 13
Surely the sensible thing to do is to ban alchohol as it is the root of all evil in dear old england. I have been teetotal for 43 years and i cannot understand why the youth of this country are obsessed with drinking and then going on a rampage racially abusing others causing harm and insults.
Robot 3021
says...
9:56am Mon 4 Feb 13
And it's pretty unfair to tar "the youth of today" with one huge sanctimonious brush. Particularly when the story is about a 31 year old.
Root of all evil? Good grief.
Respectable
says...
10:33am Mon 4 Feb 13
davidcollier1 wrote:Ban Alcohol....
Hello
Surely the sensible thing to do is to ban alchohol as it is the root of all evil in dear old england. I have been teetotal for 43 years and i cannot understand why the youth of this country are obsessed with drinking and then going on a rampage racially abusing others causing harm and insults.
Really..?
Are you the Worcestershire Taliban ?
What a ridiculous and draconian attitude.
Punish the masses because of a minority. Great idea...!!
Respectable
says...
10:38am Mon 4 Feb 13
"The court was told that he had 27 convictions for 87 offences but the majority of these were thefts to finance his 10-year heroin and crack cocaine habit, which he was now taking steps to tackle."
Last I heard Coke and Crack were Class A Banned substances... What would be the logic behind banning booze...?
More Tea Vicar
says...
2:19pm Mon 4 Feb 13
But why the prominence given to the 'race' element of this case?
As the article says "he had 27 convictions for 87 offences but the majority of these were thefts to finance his 10-year heroin and crack cocaine habit".
He also took actions that could actually have killed someone.
Yet the fact he used racist language is the thing that grabs the headlines.
I wouldn't even vaguely condone anything he is reported to have done in this article, including the use of racist language. But I would put the use of racist language where it belongs - at the end of the list of his offences.
Vox populi
says...
2:27pm Mon 4 Feb 13
davidcollier1 wrote:Obviously being teetotal for 43 years you haven't visited any establishments that serve alcohol for a long time. Most of them are very nice and safe.
Hello Surely the sensible thing to do is to ban alchohol as it is the root of all evil in dear old england. I have been teetotal for 43 years and i cannot understand why the youth of this country are obsessed with drinking and then going on a rampage racially abusing others causing harm and insults.
Not sure you can comment with such lack of experience.... I too have drunk alcohol for significant years and never hit anyone with a pool cue.
I would imagine the tax on alcohol goes a long way to funding your state pension as do the "youth of today."
Not sure if you remember prohibition in the United States? Look it up and remind yourself of how successful it wasn't.... :-)
More Tea Vicar
says...
4:42pm Mon 4 Feb 13
Vox populi wrote:Good point.
davidcollier1 wrote:Obviously being teetotal for 43 years you haven't visited any establishments that serve alcohol for a long time. Most of them are very nice and safe.
Hello Surely the sensible thing to do is to ban alchohol as it is the root of all evil in dear old england. I have been teetotal for 43 years and i cannot understand why the youth of this country are obsessed with drinking and then going on a rampage racially abusing others causing harm and insults.
Not sure you can comment with such lack of experience.... I too have drunk alcohol for significant years and never hit anyone with a pool cue.
I would imagine the tax on alcohol goes a long way to funding your state pension as do the "youth of today."
Not sure if you remember prohibition in the United States? Look it up and remind yourself of how successful it wasn't.... :-)
Some people drink too much. Some people drive like idiots; doesn't mean you ban cars.
Most people drink, but drink moderately and sensibly. It would be wrong to stop them from doing so, just because some people are idiots.
This is not intended to be flippant, but Hitler was a well-known teetotaller. So are most Taliban, I would imagine. Should we encourage people to drink, lest they become like them?
CJH
says...
5:52pm Mon 4 Feb 13
More Tea Vicar
says...
7:26pm Mon 4 Feb 13
CJH wrote:Whilst he killed his wives and put down rebellions with utmost brutality, had people burnt at the stake for believing the "wrong" thing.
Henry VIII was also concerned about youths hanging round ale houses and being drunk. Nothing changes.
Vox populi
says...
10:54pm Mon 4 Feb 13
CJH
says...
11:16pm Mon 4 Feb 13
More Tea Vicar wrote:I didn't say he was a good king. My point was that this is not a new problem. I could equally have cited the 18th century gin 'epidemic', or the 19th century gin palaces. The governments of the time struggled to cope with all the drunkenness, and the crime generated by it. Sound familiar?
CJH wrote: Henry VIII was also concerned about youths hanging round ale houses and being drunk. Nothing changes.Whilst he killed his wives and put down rebellions with utmost brutality, had people burnt at the stake for believing the "wrong" thing.
Samboy says...
2:23pm Sun 3 Feb 13