From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Fri Feb 06 2009 - 10:17:02 EST
Attackers set to be deported
Published Date: 06 February 2009
Two Eritrean refugees who attacked another asylum seeker in Wigan have
both been jailed for 15 months.
Judge Brian Lewis told Soloman Suyum and Yhonnas Haile: "You have
shown no remorse or regret for what you did that night to an unarmed
man.
"It was a very nasty incident of unprovoked violence. This attack was
persistent, it went on and on."
SuyuADVERTISEMENTm, 32, now of Charlton Road, Salford, and Haile, 29,
of George Street, Hindley, denied wounding.
Their barristers told Liverpool Crown Court that if they received a
sentence of more than 12 months they would be automatically deported.
The violence began after the victim, Iranian Saeed Awai Modaress,
complained about loud music they were playing in the house they shared
with others.
"About 4am he was lying on his bed in his room, entitled to feel
secure in his home in this country. Nothing can excuse what happened
then," said Judge Lewis.
During their trial a jury heard that they set on Mr Modaress at the
house they were living in, in George Street, Hindley.
On the evening of March 17 the two men were playing music in Haile's
room and, in the early hours of the morning, Mr Modaress twice asked
them to turn it down, but they refused.
He went back to bed, but they burst into his room and Suyum demanded
money and struck him with an industrial size padlock on the back of
the head, causing a five centimetre laceration, while Haile held the
victim down.
Mr Modaress tried to escape by running downstairs, but they chased
after him and he ran back to his room, but they forced the door open.
Sayum struck him in the face with a coffee jar, resulting in him
losing his top four front teeth. Haile then struck him in the face
with a kettle causing a black eye and bruising to his face and nose.
The victim told the jury that he thought they were going to kill him.
He managed to escape, covered in blood, into the street and shout for
help. He ran to a neighbouring house where some Kurds lived and the
police were called, said prosecutor John Chukwuemeka.
Michael Morley, defending, said that Haile was afraid of prison but
terrified of being deported.
Defence barrister Anthony Longworth said that Suyum had a job and was
a member of the local church.
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