Factory worker's racist attack

A factory worker scrawled racist graffiti on a mailshot due to be sent out asking for help from the public for a third world charity.

Barry Stewart was employed by New Logic distribution company in Boldon operating a machine packaging literature into envelopes to be distributed to the public. Newcastle Crown Court heard it was when Stewart was working the nightshift on October 2 last year he defaced an envelope due to be sent out on behalf of Water Aid.

Prosecutor Vince Ward told the court how each package contained a self-addressed, pre-paid envelope for donations to be sent to the charity by post. It was on one of those envelopes Stewart had scrawled: "The dirty little black ******* appeal" and "Help clean the black little *****". The court heard the words "thank you for caring" were printed on the bottom of the envelopes, in which Stewart had inserted the word "not". He had also daubed BNP - which stands for the British National Party - on a box at the factory.

The 24-year-old was collared when he bragged about what he had done during a break and one of his colleagues reported him.

The court heard operations at the factory had to be stopped while two members of staff tracked down the defaced envelope and ensured no racist material sent out through the post.

Stewart, of Eskdale Drive, Jarrow, admitted racially aggravated damage to property. Defence barrister Bob Spragg said Stewart was not racist at heart. Mr Spragg said: "He wanted to annoy his supervisor, he wanted to inconvenience his supervisor and he managed both of those. He is adamant his is not racist."

Judge John Evans said the scrawl was "outrageous" and unquestionably racist, but accepted Stewart was not institutionally racist and had acted the way he did to get at his supervisor. The judge said: "If it had been your conduct was motivated by very real, engrained racist views you would be going to custody."

Stewart was sentenced to a community order for 18 months with 60 hours of unpaid work.

Northern Echo