Jail for three men in hate campaign

Three men who waged a 10-month hate campaign against a muslim workmate which included trying to force him to eat bacon knowing it was against his religious beliefs have been jailed for three years.

Phillip Skett, Sean Melaney and Lee McDermott, who all worked at Amey Mouchel roadworks depot in Bescot, Walsall, also washed Amjid Mahmood with soapy water in a bid to turn him white and dumped him in the Lozells area of Birmingham after the riots of October 2005.

The Lozells riots were prompted by unsubstantiated reports of the rape of two black girls by a gang of Asian men. In addition they placed a rucksack containing multi-coloured wires, designed to look like a bomb,on top of the 29 year old's works locker and set fire to his trousers.

Skett, aged 38, of College Road, Erdington, Melaney, 28, of Streatham Grove, Kingstanding, and McDermott, 31, of Blue Stone Walk, Rowley Regis, all admitted racially aggravated harassment and putting another in fear of violence.

They were sentenced at Wolverhampton Crown Court yesterday. Mr Andrew Wallace, prosecuting, said the trio caused danger to Mr Mahmood by bad driving, took off his trousers to expose his private parts and made persistent racial comments. He told the court the bucket of a mini digger was also swung at Mr Mahmood knocking off his safety helmet.

Mr Mahmood was tied naked to railings, hosed down with cold water and it was then they tried to get him to eat the bacon. Judge John Warner told the defendants their actions might initially have started as horseplay but it quickly developed into a "campaign of deliberate bullying."