Shropshire Star

Man jailed for racist attack on Oswestry shop keeper

A MAN has been jailed for a racially motivated attack on a shop keeper who he believed had been sleeping with his ex partner, just days after being released from prison.

Published

Christopher Willcocks, 32, of Coniston Street, Liverpool, had been out of prison for just five days when he assaulted and and harassed Harkamal Dhillon, of Boozed Up in Oswestry, in July.

He was found guilty after a trial and jailed for six months. He also admitted charges of witness intimidation, after going back to the shop to try and force Mr Dhillon to withdraw his statement, along eight counts of breaching a restraining order not to contact his former partner.

Judge Peter Barrie jailed Willcocks for 15 months, stating the most serious offence was that of witness intimidation.

He said: “Courts take this very seriously when people try to interfere with the course of justice by discouraging a witness to give evidence. It didn’t have the effect you wanted, as Mr Dhillon was made of sterner stuff and gave evidence.”

Prosecutor Simon Warlock told the court he was jailed for 12 months last year for affray and carrying a knife, and was released on tag on July 11 this year.

He was made subject to a restraining order not to contact ex partner Miss Davies, who has been living in a refuge.

The tag company informed police that Willcocks had entered Oswestry, the home town of Miss Davies’ parents. While he was there, Mr Warlock said the defendant visited their home address.

On July 16, after he had been to Oswestry Police Station to withdraw consent to wear a tag, he and a friend went to Boozed Up in Oswestry, where they confronted Mr Dhillon.

He used racist language towards the shopkeeper, accusing him of sleeping with his ex partner, before going behind the counter to head butt and kick him.

The prosecutor explained Willcocks wanted the address of another man he wanted to speak to.

The other man who went to the shop with Willcocks was dealt with for offences in the magistrates court.

Following this, phone records showed there was contact between the defendant and his ex partner over the next eight days, which put him in breach of the restraining order.

Then after being charged with the offences against Mr Dhillon and being told to stay at an address in Anfield, Liverpool, he returned to Oswestry on September 14, where he confronted the shop keeper and told him to withdraw his statement.

Simon Parry, for Willcocks, said his client knew the only outcome would be a custodial sentence.

He said with regards to the breaching of restraining orders, it was “six of one and half a dozen of the other”, as Miss Davies had also been contacting him.

Mr Parry added that despite having a long list of convictions, his client has non of a racist nature or of breaching a restraining order.

He said when he is released from custody, he has a plan to start fresh and stay away from Oswestry.

Judge Barrie said the court takes racially aggravated incidents very seriously, jailing Willcocks six months. He was given three months for breaching the restraining order, and six months for witness intimidation, which will run concurrently.

He was also made subject to an order not to contact Miss Davies, or approach Mr Dhillon’s address, or to enter Oswestry for five years.