A man was yesterday jailed after pleading guilty to a racial crime and child pornography offenses.
At earlier hearings, 30-year-old Neil Martin was sentenced for 2 years and 8 months, admitting publishing material likely to stir up racial hatred and to making indecent photographs of children.
Less than a week after the racial murder of 18 year old black teenager Anthony Walker in Huyton, Merseyside last year a school friend set up a website in his honour.
Under the pseudonym ‘Genuine Scouser’ Martin emailed at least 6 comments to the website, amongst them suggesting that white people should celebrate the murder.
Martin also suggested that Anthony’s family should be burned and made references to slavery and a “banana boat”.
During police interviews, Martin admitted posting the messages but insisted that he was not a racist and he did not believe what he had written.
Whilst being arrested, officers found 33 images of child pornography on his computer.
The court heard that Martin had also created an internet profile using Anthony’s identity and photograph. Martin then separately posed as a schoolgirl on teenage internet chatrooms.
During the trial Judge Henry Globe QC, of Liverpool Crown Court described the intention of the website as being: “innocent, honourable and well motivated” and abusing the websites use.
After the comments Martin’s defendant said that Martin had no history of racist behavior and he felt “deeply ashamed”.
Martin has also written a letter of apology to both the court and the victims families.
Anthony’s mother was happy with the sentence but she declined Martins written apology: “After hearing what he said in those messages I don’t accept it, I don’t accept his apology”.
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Critique of My Work:
In order to improve this story further i would have emphased the extent of the crime (racial postings on the internet) more as to attract the readers attention. Also i would have possibly looked at adding more background information into the story.
1 comment:
This demonstrates a grasp of news structure but would have been strengthened if you had put more emphasis on the racist postings higher up your story as these are what gave the crime/ and story so much impact. Written fluently, in concise paragraphs.
Quotes - There was a stronger quote from the judge than the one you have included.
Spelling and punctuation -- Watch this -- you have made a number of errors (eg. offences, behaviour). There are some missing hyphens.
Spell out numbers up to nine, is the general rule.
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