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Cop slams sentence cut
Page 12
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A DETECTIVE has hit out over the high court judge's decision to cut the sentence of a haulier convicted in a "sickening" case of racial harassment.
Damian Gaunt, the MD of Sheffield-based Bruce Transport Services, was originally sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment at Sheffield Crown Court for turning a blind eye to his employees' attacks on Rudolph Watson.
Watson suffered "relentless, remorseless oppression" at the hands of Gary Bolsover, Brian Briscoe and Kirk Lee. They stabbed Watson with a chisel, tied him to a fork-lift truck and subjected him to a torrent of racial abuse (CM 18 September 2003). Appeal Court Judge Sir Ian Kennedy cut the sentence to just six months in jail, arguing that Gaunt had not witnessed the incidents and had been unaware of some of the more serious episodes of bullying (CM 1 January).
But Detective Constable Kevin Greathead, who led the investigation, says: -I am disgusted with the sentence. I think Mr Gaunt is as culpable as the others, albeit he was not involved in any of the incidents. I do think that the others should have longer sentences but to reduce it to six months is too little."
Greathead adds that Gaunt was aware of the abuse, yet it carried on for four years.