Race-hate clamper threatened to rape victim's girlfriend

Convicted: Peter Del Grosso has been told to expect a jail sentence

Notorious wheel-clamper Peter Del Grosso is facing jail after being convicted of a race-hate crime.

Del Grosso, of clamping firm Vehicle Management Limited, launched a tirade of racist abuse at a man who had gone to help a friend recover her clamped car. Del Grosso is also set to have his wheel-clamper's licence revoked after Humberside Police made an application to the Security Industry Authority.

A jury took less than 90 minutes to convict Del Grosso of racially aggravated assault after hearing how he also threatened to rape the man's partner.

Detective Constable Paul Gooder, of Hull's public protection unit, said: "Hate crime is something we take very seriously – there is no place for racist abuse. We have a conviction rate of more than 60 per cent and are determined to continue in not tolerating abuse of this nature. We've applied for Del Grosso's licence to be revoked so, hopefully, he will not be able to clamp another person in the city again."

Del Grosso hit the headlines in 2009 after readers inundated the Mail with complaints about Sector Security Ltd clamping at dozens of sites across Hull and the East Riding. Earlier this year, the Mail discovered Del Grosso – by then working with Vehicle Management Ltd – was charging motorists more to release clamped cars ahead of the clamping ban, expected by the end of the year. Grimsby Crown Court heard Del Grosso abused Mohammed Tarhan when he and his partner accompanied her sister to a back-street compound in Hull city centre on Christmas Eve in 2009.

Del Grosso, 48, threatened to rape Mr Tarhan's partner before demanding to see his passport.

Holly Barwell had her car clamped on December 23. She contacted Del Grosso and he told her to meet him in the street to hand over £310 to get her Vauxhall Corsa released. Mr Tarhan and his girlfriend, Emily Barwell, went with Holly and they were taken to the compound at R and M Motors in Dock Street. While Mr Tarhan, who is Turkish, was waiting, Del Grosso began shouting at him.

He called him a "foreigner" and said: "Where's your visa? I want to see your passport."

Mr Tarhan called police and blocked the entrance to the compound to stop Del Grosso fleeing. However, he was forced to move when Del Grosso summoned a forklift truck and threatened to crush his car.

Mr Tarhan said: "I began driving my car out of the yard and he looked at me and was saying something. I wound down my window and asked him what he was saying and he started swearing at me. He told me that he knew where we lived and he would come and give my family and kids a Christmas present. He said, 'I'm going to **** your wife.' He repeated it and I decided to call the police. He said, 'Foreigner, go back to your country.' I was just very angry."

Two months after the incident, Del Grosso tried to intimidate Emily Barwell by driving his car at her in the city centre. He was also believed to have been asking around takeaways in the city to find Mr Tarhan.

The victims were allowed to give evidence behind screens in the court during the five-day trial.

After the jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict, the case was adjourned for sentence until November 17. Judge Robert Moore told Del Grosso the pre-sentence report would have to contain "exceptional" circumstances for him to avoid a custodial sentence.

Del Grosso, who has no previous convictions apart from a technical issue relating to a gun licence, was released on bail until sentencing next month.

A spokeswoman for the Security Industry Authority said: "We are here to uphold the public safety and we issue licences to ensure only fit and proper people work in the industry. We can't have people who are a risk to the public operating."

The spokeswoman told the Mail once an application was made by the police, Del Grosso's licence would be suspended immediately pending a full review. She also said a conviction of racially aggravated assault would lead to the license being pulled.

People whose licences are revoked cannot reapply until after five years, by which point, wheel-clamping will have been outlawed.

This is Hull and East Riding

Four charged after racist attack at Plymouth takeaway

Four people are to appear at court next month on charges relating to an alleged attack on a Kurdish family in their takeaway shop.

The four were arrested on the afternoon of July 31 after police were called to the Istanbul Kebab shop in Exeter Street. The four, who were said to have previously been at the nearby Wild Coyote pub – which has since been renamed the East End Bar – returned to answer their bail yesterday when they were charged.

Hayley Well, aged 27, from Shell Close, Leigham has been charged with racially aggravated common assault by beating.

Kelly Watterson, aged 28, from St Peters Road in Manadon, is charged with racially aggravated affray and racially aggravated common assault by beating.

Michael Rafferty, aged 33, from Queen Street, Devonport has been charged with obstructing or resisting a constable in the execution of his duty.

Ricky Burley, aged 43, from High Street, Stonehouse has been charged with using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour or disorderly behaviour and obstructing or resisting a constable in the execution of his duty.

All four have been released on bail to reappear at Plymouth Magistrates Court on September 7. Until their appearance, they have been given conditions which include not going within 100 metres of the Istanbul Kebab Takeaway in Exeter Street.

This is Plymouth

BNP supporter jailed for racist attack on children

A man who shouted racial abuse at Asian children and chanted "BNP" at them has been jailed for eight months

Steven Moorhouse, 26, of Rushton Hill Close, Pellon, Halifax, admitted racially aggravated common assault and harassment between June and July last year. The children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were aged between eight and 13.

Paul Williams, prosecuting, said Moorhouse made an inappropriate comment to a 12-year-old girl and her two younger brothers took exception. Mr Williams said: "He said, 'Have you got an older sister? I need a woman to keep me off drugs'."

When the boys, eight and 10, objected, Moorhouse unleashed a tirade of racial abuse on them.

"He told them to go back to their own country," said Mr Williams, "While walking away he repeated the phrase, 'BNP, BNP'."

A week later, Moorhouse abused a 13-year-old white girl and her Asian boyfriend and threatened to return with a knife and stab one of them. On July 4 he again used racist language towards the brothers from the earlier incident and swung out at one of them, clipping him with his finger.

Moorhouse – who has previous convictions for assault, threatening behaviour and harassment and committed the latest offences in breach of a suspended sentence – was overheard shouting that he would get the BNP to come and slit someone's throat.

Jailing him, Recorder Richard Mansell QC said: "You resort to violent, threatening, bullying behaviour when things don't go your way."

Evening Courier

Salutes at BNP event 'racist act'

Nazi salutes given by two men to people protesting against a British National Party festival were a hostile act referring to genocide, a judge has found

Deputy District Judge John Miller made the point as he found Saville Davies and Hayden Gough guilty of racially aggravated harassment yesterday. He accepted that the pair were provoked by protesters at the party's annual Red, White and Blue festival, in Denby. But he said the salutes could not be seen as anything other than hostile towards the non-British and non-white people and "those associated with them" in the 1,000-strong protest group.

He said: "It (the Nazi salute) is a reference to Nazi party dogma, which, as we know, involved racial discrimination to the most extreme degree – that is genocide based on race."

Southern Derbyshire Magistrates' court heard how, on Saturday, August 15, an argument started when protesters passed a small group of people in Codnor-Denby Lane as they walked away from holding a rally near the festival entrance. Between 10 and 15 people, including Davies, 25 and Gough, 18, were asked to move out of the way by police as the protesters approached.

When the protesters arrived Davies, who had a shaved head and was wearing braces and jeans, said he got into an argument with a man he believed threatened his son. The court heard how protesters shouted slogans like "Nazi scum" and "Master race you're having a laugh" and threw objects such as fruit. Davies, who was on his way to the festival at the time, said, as he moved away, the taunts got louder and he turned to give a Nazi salute.

Gough, who claimed he was following the protest "to get his face on TV", said he gave three Nazi salutes when interviewed by police.

Both were caught on CCTV taken by a police surveillance team. Davies was arrested at the scene and Gough was arrested later that day after officers had studied the pictures. In September, Davies and Gough pleaded not guilty to racially aggravated harassment. Yesterday, they pleaded guilty to behaviour causing harassment alarm or distress but continued to deny it was racially aggravated. They were found guilty of the earlier charge.

Both said they were not members of the BNP but Davies said he been to one party meeting. Davies, of Holywell Avenue, Codnor, was ordered to pay a fine and costs totalling £315, and Gough, of Church Street, Riddings, £390. Both were bound over to pay £250 if they caused harassment, alarm or distress to the public again within two years.

Derby Telegraph

BNP mum Helen Forster led kids' race attack

Meet the female face of the BNP - the sneering single mum who led a mob of kids to throw eggs and fire an airgun at an Asian neighbour.

Graphic designer Helen Forster, a paid-up member who produces leaflets for the far right group, was yesterday spared jail after being convicted of intimidation. She was the lone adult urging the hate-filled kids - some only 10 - to shout abuse during the siege at the home of terrified Meherjan Miah, who had previously lodged a complaint to police about a racially-aggravated assault.

But after getting off with a 10 months suspended sentence, mum-of-three Forster, 32 - who has previous convictions for dishonesty and drug possession - failed to apologise. She just defiantly called on the authorities to "move on" Mrs Miah to stop further incidents. She had already shouted threats through Mrs Miah's letterbox and admitted that the eggs thrown in the retaliatory incident last August "may have come" from her fridge.

Maidstone crown court heard that although she had not been found guilty of criminal damage herself, she had "encouraged" the youngsters. They included a cautioned boy of 14 and airgun shooter Matthew Back, then 17, who also walked free as he had spent nine months on remand. He said he only "joined in" because he knew Forster, who lives on benefits in her council house in Gravesend, Kent. She, like Back, also got community service and supervision.

Outside court she said: "I've asked the council to move Mrs Miah on but nothing's happened. And yes, I'm still in the BNP."

Hope message to 'bomb city'

Our Hope not Hate bus yesterday hit Coventry - destroyed by Nazi bombers in WWII. And special issues showing BNP candidate Simon Darby getting Hitler salutes in Italy reminded locals of the peril of voting for racists. Councillors agreed: "We must keep fighting Fascism."

Mirror