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George Galloway ‘scared to go out alone’ as street attacker jailed for 16 months | |
(about 14 hours later) | |
George Galloway has revealed that he now feels too scared to go anywhere alone – as the man who attacked the Respect MP in a London street while calling him an anti-Semite was jailed for 16 months. | George Galloway has revealed that he now feels too scared to go anywhere alone – as the man who attacked the Respect MP in a London street while calling him an anti-Semite was jailed for 16 months. |
Drug addict Neil Masterson, 39, left the pro-Palestine MP for Bradford West with cuts and bruises to his head and ribs and requiring hospital treatment after the frenzied assault in Notting Hill in August. | Drug addict Neil Masterson, 39, left the pro-Palestine MP for Bradford West with cuts and bruises to his head and ribs and requiring hospital treatment after the frenzied assault in Notting Hill in August. |
Masterson, who was wearing a pink T-shirt with an Israeli Defence Force logo when he was arrested nearby, told police he felt “morally justified” in attacking the MP because he was a “Nazi” with a “shameful” attitude towards Jews, Isleworth Crown Court heard. | Masterson, who was wearing a pink T-shirt with an Israeli Defence Force logo when he was arrested nearby, told police he felt “morally justified” in attacking the MP because he was a “Nazi” with a “shameful” attitude towards Jews, Isleworth Crown Court heard. |
Galloway, the court heard, believes he would have been killed if Masterson, who had “recently undergone a conversion towards Judaism”, had been armed with a knife during their chance meeting. | Galloway, the court heard, believes he would have been killed if Masterson, who had “recently undergone a conversion towards Judaism”, had been armed with a knife during their chance meeting. |
Masterson, of Kensington, who used to work for the Department for Work and Pensions and as a manager at the BBC, had previously admitted assaulting Mr Galloway and a second charge of common assault against a man who had been posing for a picture with the MP as the attack happened. | Masterson, of Kensington, who used to work for the Department for Work and Pensions and as a manager at the BBC, had previously admitted assaulting Mr Galloway and a second charge of common assault against a man who had been posing for a picture with the MP as the attack happened. |
Judge Aidan Marron QC told the clean-shaven and smartly suited Masterson: “While you are no longer facing a charge of religiously aggravated assault, it would be unreal to ignore that the motivation for this... was your profound hostility to Mr Galloway’s views.” | Judge Aidan Marron QC told the clean-shaven and smartly suited Masterson: “While you are no longer facing a charge of religiously aggravated assault, it would be unreal to ignore that the motivation for this... was your profound hostility to Mr Galloway’s views.” |
He added that Masterson’s “loathing” of Galloway was manifested by what he did at the start of the assault and said afterwards in interviews. | He added that Masterson’s “loathing” of Galloway was manifested by what he did at the start of the assault and said afterwards in interviews. |
The court heard that 60-year-old former Labour MP Mr Galloway had been in London on private business when the attack happened at around 7.25pm on Friday 29 August. | The court heard that 60-year-old former Labour MP Mr Galloway had been in London on private business when the attack happened at around 7.25pm on Friday 29 August. |
He was posing for a photo near his car in Golborne Road with Moroccan doctor Mostafa Maroof and a friend when Masterson approached them “in a rage”, prosecutor Michelle Nelson told the court. She said he mentioned the Holocaust, leading Mr Galloway to fear he was a right-wing extremist. | He was posing for a photo near his car in Golborne Road with Moroccan doctor Mostafa Maroof and a friend when Masterson approached them “in a rage”, prosecutor Michelle Nelson told the court. She said he mentioned the Holocaust, leading Mr Galloway to fear he was a right-wing extremist. |
The attack on the MP included 10 punches and a “Kung-fu style” kick which did not connect but caused Mr Galloway to fall into the road, where Masterson continued hitting him. | The attack on the MP included 10 punches and a “Kung-fu style” kick which did not connect but caused Mr Galloway to fall into the road, where Masterson continued hitting him. |
Masterson admitted to police he said: “Anti-semitic little man, I fucking despise you,” during the attack and described Galloway as “a morally and intellectually bankrupt person”. | Masterson admitted to police he said: “Anti-semitic little man, I fucking despise you,” during the attack and described Galloway as “a morally and intellectually bankrupt person”. |
Mr Galloway welcomed the sentence but questioned the decision to drop a charge of religiously aggravated assault. “If an Asian man wearing a Palestinian T-shirt had attacked a pro-Israeli MP would the sentence have been the same?” he said. | Mr Galloway welcomed the sentence but questioned the decision to drop a charge of religiously aggravated assault. “If an Asian man wearing a Palestinian T-shirt had attacked a pro-Israeli MP would the sentence have been the same?” he said. |
In a victim impact statement read in court, Mr Galloway described still being in pain from his injuries and how it had left his wife and children in a “constant state of worry”. “I no longer go anywhere alone,” he wrote. “I now need to have someone with me while working.” | In a victim impact statement read in court, Mr Galloway described still being in pain from his injuries and how it had left his wife and children in a “constant state of worry”. “I no longer go anywhere alone,” he wrote. “I now need to have someone with me while working.” |
The court heard Masterson had been a functioning heroin addict for 25 years but had been “cold turkey” for two weeks at the time of the attack. | The court heard Masterson had been a functioning heroin addict for 25 years but had been “cold turkey” for two weeks at the time of the attack. |
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