Seven Years Jail for Nazi Petrol Bomber

By Alistair Keely, PA News | Tuesday, 4 May 2004 Source: Scotsman

A Nazi sympathiser was jailed for seven years today for carrying out a racist firebomb attack on a Bangladeshi man.

Thomas Jackson hurled burning bottles at Unysur Rahman as he was unloading a van outside a friend's furniture shop in Hull on Christmas Eve last year.

Mr Rahman, 20, was left with burns on his hands and face following the attack.

Jackson, 37, of Rawcliffe Grove, Hull, carried out the attack with Brian Gifford, 31, of Hessle Road, Hull, who was jailed for four-and-a-half years.

Jackson is alleged to have shouted "Merry Christmas" and racial slurs as he threw the bombs, made from beer bottles full of petrol and stuffed with burning rags.

The victim was with cousins Farid Choudhury, 36, and Sadiq Choudhury, 33, who were helping him unload the van outside the ECT furniture shop.

The court was told the attack stemmed from a dispute Jackson was involved in involving an Iranian named Mohsen Tarverde.

Jackson had chased him into a shop earlier in the day but was unable to attack him.

As he walked down the street with Gifford he noticed the Choudhurys, made petrol bombs and then launched the unprovoked attack.

Jackson told the jury he owned 100 swastika stamps and 50 depicting Hitler because of an interest in the Second World War.

He told the court he was not responsible for the attack.

Jailing the pair, the Recorder of Hull and East Riding Judge Michael Mettyear said Jackson had boasted of his membership of the Nazi party and BNP.

He condemned the pair for carrying out the racist attack.

"You targeted the Choudhurys simply going about their business on Hessle Road.

"You targeted the Choudhurys for one simple reason and one reason only - they were foreign and in your perverted minds were associated with Mr Tarverde.

"It was racial hatred of the worst type, it will not be tolerated and it will not be tolerated by courts in this country."

Jackson had denied sending an explosive substance with intent to cause grievous bodily harm but was found guilty by a jury at Hull Crown Court last week.

Jackson and a third man Stephen Eslor, 33, of St Matthew Street, Hull, were cleared of affray but found guilty of using threatening behaviour towards Mr Tarverde.

Eslor was ordered to do 200 hours unpaid work in the community.