Asian man attacked in Sunderland back street after public march - jury of man accused of stirring up racial hatred told

An Asian man was attacked by a group of white males after a "very unpleasant" public march, jurors have heard.
William 'Billy' Charlton pictured outside Newcastle Crown Court.William 'Billy' Charlton pictured outside Newcastle Crown Court.
William 'Billy' Charlton pictured outside Newcastle Crown Court.

The victim was left with blood on his face and head after he was set upon in a back lane at Peel Street, Sunderland, after a city demonstration where protester William 'Billy' Charlton made a speech in September 2016.

Charlton is on trial accused of stirring up racial hatred during a series of speeches at marches organised after a woman claimed she had been attacked by foreign men at a flat in Sunderland.

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The 55-year-old has said his intention was to "protect the women of Sunderland from rape and sexual violence" when he spoke at the planned demonstrations in the city.

But prosecutors claim the protection of women was an "excuse" by Charlton, to hide his true intention, which was to "stir up people against Muslims, Asians, black people and the police".

Charlton of no fixed address, denies five charges of stirring up racial hatred between November 2016 and July 2017 and is being tried by a jury.

A police officer who worked the march on September 10 2016, has told the court he was worried about police and public safety as the march, which started at the Ivy Leaf Club, progressed.

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The constable said he saw a woman at the march shouting "they rape our women, we can bash them".

He added: "In my judgement, there was no question, she was talking about Asian males."

The officer said it was after the march and speeches finished that a member of the public alerted him to an attack on an Asian man in his 50s being attacked in a lane.

CCTV footage of the entrance of the lane showed a group of while males leaving the lane and a group of Asian males arrive there in the aftermath.

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The officer said: "He had his hands over his head, trying to protect himself."

The court heard two men were arrested over the attack but others ran off.

The police constable told the court: "It was very unpleasant. A lot of people were aggressive in their demeanour, very anti police, very anti-Muslim, from the crowd setting off up to the point of me leaving the scene it was like that and got progressively worse."

The trial continues.