Victim's anger over lenient sentence

A 22-year-old man who took part in a racist attack by a gang of drunken white men on a black preacher was jailed for 33 months yesterday.

Gary Dobson, from Elephant and Castle in south London, appeared at Inner London Crown Court for sentence after being convicted earlier of what the court described as a "serious racist attack".

Afterwards the victim Mr James Ozigi, 48, executive secretary of the Churches' Commission for Racial Justice, who almost lost a kidney, his left eye and suffered damage to his hearing, attacked the police and justice system.

He said: "I still have nightmares about it. I thought I was going to die and I don't think 33 months is nearly enough for what they did. Three other men were identified during the trial as being involved, but they are still free. I wonder what the police will do now.

"Five men did this and three have not been charged yet. Only two men appeared in court and one of them was acquitted, but it seems to me that while the police do their best, there is not enough effort put into investigating race attacks.

"When black people are involved we get a second service."

Mr Ozigi, his wife Elizabeth, 41, and their four children, had been at home in Lambeth in August last year when they heard a violent argument in the street. People were crashing against their front door and when Mr Ozigi went to investigate he was subjected to racial abuse and pulled into the street by five white men who punched and kicked him, leaving him unconscious.