South and East Belfast Sinn Féin -- Building an Ireland of Equals

Lenient sentences send out wrong message about hate crime

Published: 30 March, 2009

Balmoral Sinn Féin representative Vincent Parker has said that the light sentences recently handed out to two men involved in a sectarian attack in South Belfast in 2006 has caused deep unease within the nationalist community and sends out the wrong message about hate crime in our society.


Mr Parker said,

"This attack, which left a cyclist requiring stitches and staples after being hit with a bottle and beaten by a gang was blatantly sectarian. As such it constitutes a hate crime and hate crime of any type can have no place in our society.


"Of the two men charged in relation to this attack one was given probation while the other received a suspended sentence.


"It must be made clear that hate crime can have no place in our society. Unfortunately, these lenient sentences which were handed out to two men who were involved in a hate crime does not send out a strong message to those who would involve themselves in such attacks. I believe that this is something that the judiciary must take on board when passing sentence in relation to crimes of this type".

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