Man Who Stormed Liverpool Jewish Wedding Gets Community Order
Joseph Nixon, 43, of Armagh in Northern Ireland, has been given an 18-month community order at Liverpool Magistrates' Court for harassing a Jewish man at a wedding reception in the city. The sentence was passed on Monday.
Nixon was found guilty after a trial of racially or religiously aggravated intentional harassment. Magistrates ordered him to complete 300 hours of unpaid work. He must also pay a £114 surcharge, £650 in court costs and £150 in compensation to the man he targeted.
What happened at the Adelphi
The court heard that Nixon returned to the Adelphi Hotel in the early hours of 15 September last year. Jack Surpree, the best man, had left his brother's reception at about 12.45am with his teenage sister. He was in the hotel's reception area when Nixon and another man approached him, prosecutor Louise Coe told the court.
Nixon was said to have asked whether Surpree supported Palestine and, when he was ignored, whether he supported Israel. The court heard that Surpree then clearly heard an antisemitic comment. He said he saw Nixon's expression change as he reached for his phone, and he feared violence towards himself and his sister.
The two men then went into the function room, where Surpree could hear aggressive shouting. The incident lasted seven to eight minutes before Nixon was arrested.
Victim impact statement
In a statement read to the court, Surpree said he had never been the victim of hate before that day. "In that moment all I could see was hatred and evil," he said. He added that he had since felt nervous about attending large Jewish gatherings.
He said his parents had saved for years for the wedding and that his sister-in-law had waited "her whole life" for the day. "He chose to target me because I am Jewish," Surpree said. He urged Nixon to educate himself and to make an effort to speak to Jewish people.
Simon Pook, defending, said Nixon was under serious and significant stress at the time. He was caring for elderly parents, who later died, and his marriage was breaking down. Pook said Nixon works as a chef, had come to Liverpool for a break and does not normally drink, but had been drinking that night. "He is ashamed of the comments he made," Pook told the court.
Source: BBC News