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Others have noted that the lack of coverage isn't simply a media issue. [[Peter Fahy]], the spokesman on race issues for the [[Association of Chief Police Officers]] states “a lot of police officers and other professionals feel almost the best thing to do is to try and avoid [discussing such attacks] for fear of being criticised. This is not healthy.” <ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article633759.ece?token=null&offset=12&page=2 | location=London | work=The Times | title=The hidden white victims of racism | date=12 November 2006}}</ref>.


==Legacy==
==Legacy==

Revision as of 19:20, 12 July 2011

Ross Parker
Born(1984-08-17)August 17, 1984
DiedSeptember 21, 2001(2001-09-21) (aged 17)
Millfield, Peterborough, England
Cause of deathBlood loss due to stabbing
Resting placePeterborough
NationalityBritish
OccupationStudent
Known forVictim of racist murder
PartnerNicola Foot
Website[1]

Ross Parker (17 August 1984 – 21 September 2001), from Peterborough, England, was a white male murdered in an unprovoked racially motivated crime. He was stabbed to death and beaten with a hammer by a gang of Muslim Asian youths of Pakistani origin, described as a "hunting party", with the incident occurring ten days after the September 11th attacks.[1][2] Shaied Nazir, Ahmed Ali Awan, and Sarfraz Ali were all found guilty of his murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.[3][4][5]

Background

Parker was born in Peterborough to Davinia and Tony and was one of two children.[6] He was a keen footballer, and had completed a GNVQ in business studies at Jack Hunt School, hoping to join the police force when he was 18.[7] He was nicknamed "half-pint" due to his 5 feet 5 inch height.[8][9]

Murder

Parker was murdered shortly after 1am on 21 September 2001 when walking home from work with his girlfriend Nicola Foot.[10] The attack took place on a cycle path alongside Bourges Boulevard in Millfield, Peterborough.[11] Racial tensions in the area had been high, with the terrorist attacks on 11 September occurring ten days previously. He was attacked by a gang of Asian Muslim youths,[12] some wearing balaclavas, who that evening had planned "to find a white male to attack simply because he was white" [13] They warned Parker he had "better start running" and quickly sprayed him in the face with CS gas. He was punched in the stomach, repeatedly kicked and stamped upon, struck with a hammer, and then stabbed three times through the throat and chest with a foot-long hunting knife.[14] The knife penetrated right through his body on two occasions and as a result Parker bled to death.[15] After the murder, Awan, brandishing the bloodied knife, exclaimed "cherish the blood".[1][4]

Arrests

During the weekend following the murder, twelve Asian people were arrested on suspicion of murder, with a £1,000 reward put up by the local community to find the killers.[16][17] This was later increased to £1,500.[18]

A number of those arrested were recorded chanting "Taliban, Osama bin Laden" whilst being transported in the police van, also vandalising the vehicle.[19] Such chanting continued in the police cells.[20]

By March 2002 all four defendants charged with Parker's murder had been controversially released from prison on police bail. Parker's sister stated "we can't begin to comprehend why they've been allowed out of prison at this stage". Parker's family were so concerned about such a decision that they wrote a letter of complaint to the Home Secretary, David Blunkett.[21] No action was taken however and the men remained free on bail.

Ahmed Ali Awan
Born(1980-04-02)April 2, 1980[14]
OccupationLabour contractor
Criminal statusIn prison
MotiveRacism
Conviction(s)Murder
Criminal chargeMurder
PenaltyLife imprisonment (minimum 18 years)
Shaied Nazir
Born(1980-11-19)November 19, 1980[22]
OccupationDoor-to-door sales
Criminal statusIn prison
MotiveRacism
Conviction(s)Murder
Criminal chargeMurder
PenaltyLife imprisonment (minimum 16 years)
Sarfraz Ali
Born(1977-07-09)July 9, 1977[13]
OccupationDelivery driver
Criminal statusIn prison
MotiveRacism
Conviction(s)Murder
Criminal chargeMurder
PenaltyLife imprisonment (minimum 16 years)

Trial

Shaied Nazir, 22, Ahmed Ali Awan, 22, Sarfraz Ali, 25, and Zairaff Mahrad, 21 all of Peterborough, stood trial for Parker's murder at Northampton Crown Court, pleading not guilty.[23] At the trial Nazir admitted to using CS gas and to kicking Parker whilst he was lying on the ground, though blamed Ali for Parker's death. Controversially, Safraz Ali was given a reference at the trial by the Deputy Mayor of Peterborough, Raja Akhtar.[1] and Labour Party councillor Mohammad Choudhary.[24]

At the trial transcripts of covert police recordings of the suspects discussing the attack were presented. The conversations took place in police vehicles when the suspects were arrested and were translated from Punjabi. Nazir was heard describing Parker's death as a "bloodbath", and how the third blow from the knife had split the whole of his neck open. Awan and Nazir were both heard discussing the statements they had given to police and the plan they had "made up".[25]

The jury heard how the murder weapons had been found in a shed at Nazir's house along with two bags of bloodied clothes. DNA belonging to Nazir was found on the hunting knife and Parker's blood was found on the hammer. His blood was also found on the clothes of two of the accused, along with Nazir and Mahrad's DNA.[26] Three balaclavas were also recovered from the property, again containing traces of Parker's blood.[27] Nazir's younger brother Wyed told the court he had seen his brother cleaning the murder weapon on the night of the killing.[28]

On 19 December 2002 Nazir, Awan and Ali were all found guilty of murder in unanimous verdicts.[3][29] The judge summarised the murder during sentencing:

You put your heads together with the purpose of arming yourselves and of attacking an innocent man you might find by chance simply because he was of a different race to yourselves. A racist killing must be one of the gravest kinds of killing.

— Sir Edwin Jowitt.

They received life sentences, with Awan to serve a minimum of 18 years and the others at least 16. Mahrad was cleared of murder and manslaughter.[3]

Appeal

Awan and Nazir appealed against their sentences in January 2008 but the original sentences were upheld. After the appeal Parker's father suggested that the killers of his son should never be freed.[15]

Reporting

The media was criticised for their lack of coverage of the Ross Parker case in comparison to similar racist murders occurring in the UK, such as the case of Anthony Walker and that of Stephen Lawrence.[30][31] The BBC later admitted that "it was a mistake not to report the case of Ross Parker more extensively", noting the "stark" parallels with the Walker case and that the crime was "worthy of coverage" "by any standards".[31] Yasmin Alibhai-Brown and Kelvin McKenzie expressed similar sentiments, with the later criticising newspapers including his own employer of The Sun. He stated "if you believe you're a victim of an ethnic minority and you're white there is nowhere to go. Editors are so liberal that they are scared to be seen that they're moving to the right of their paper". Ross' mother Davina Parker expressed similar concerns noting "because we are white, English, we didn't get the coverage"[12][32] In 2006 a Times article by Brendan Montague on racist murders in Britain stated searching newspaper archives shows "an almost total boycott of stories involving the white victims of attacks" whereas "cases involving black and minority ethnic victims are widely reported". [33]

Others have noted that the lack of coverage isn't simply a media issue. Peter Fahy, the spokesman on race issues for the Association of Chief Police Officers states “a lot of police officers and other professionals feel almost the best thing to do is to try and avoid [discussing such attacks] for fear of being criticised. This is not healthy.” [34].

Legacy

As a result of the murder of Parker, local authorities set up a unity scheme, whereby gang members from different communities were trained as youth workers in order to ease racial tensions and reduce violence.[35] However, some problems still persisted, with racist graffiti painted near the murder scene two years after the incident reading "no go area for whites" and "death to whites".[36]

Some, such as Mark Easton cite the Parker case as demonstrating how society has been forced to redefine racism and discard the erroneous definition of "prejudice plus power" – a definition which had only allowed ethnic minorities to be victims.[37] Others such as Alibhai-Brown condemned the double standards of racial equality campaigners in relation to the case, suggesting black activists should "march and remember victims like Ross Parker", stating "our values are worthless unless all victims of these senseless deaths matter equally". She went on to write that "to treat some victims as more worthy of condemnation than others is unforgivable and a betrayal of anti-racism itself".[5][12]

Tributes

Parker's funeral took place at Peterborough Crematorium on 23 October 2001 with over 400 mourners attending.[38][39]

A plaque was installed in Netherton in Peterborough as a memorial to Parker. His former football team mates also play a match every May in his memory and formed a team called "Ross' Rangers".[40]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Morris, Steven (20 December 2002). "Three get life in jail for racist killing". The Guardian. London.
  2. ^ "Three Asians get life in jail for racial killing". rediff.
  3. ^ a b c "Three guilty of teenager's murder". BBC News. 19 December 2002.
  4. ^ a b Price, Richard. "Teenager 'killed by vicious knife gang'". Daily Mail. London.
  5. ^ a b Alibhai-Brown, Yasmin (3 February 2003). "Black racism is every bit as bad as white racism". The Independent. London.
  6. ^ ROSS PARKER TRIAL: 'What they did was unforgivable' - Environment - Peterborough Evening Telegraph
  7. ^ Workmates and friends stunned by tragic death - Environment - Peterborough Evening Telegraph
  8. ^ http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk:80/news/environment_2_17112/murder_family_tells_of_months_of_torment_after_death_of_much_loved_son_1_104950
  9. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1557154.stm
  10. ^ http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk:80/news/environment_2_17112/murder_terror_as_ross_s_killers_pounced_1_104974
  11. ^ http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/local/east-hampshire/killing_life_without_ross_is_hard_it_never_goes_away_1_1273306
  12. ^ a b c When the victim is white, does anyone care? | Goliath Business News
  13. ^ a b Legal / Professional - Minimum Terms, High Court setting of minimum terms for mandatory life sentences under the Criminal Justice Act 2003
  14. ^ a b Legal / Professional - Minimum Terms, High Court setting of minimum terms for mandatory life sentences under the Criminal Justice Act 2003
  15. ^ a b Ross killers fail in bid to have sentences cut - Environment - Peterborough Today
  16. ^ "Twelve held over teenager's death". BBC News. 23 September 2001.
  17. ^ http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk:80/news/environment_2_17112/police_quiz_seven_over_fatal_stabbing_of_a_happy_go_lucky_teenager_1_105505
  18. ^ http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk:80/news/environment_2_17112/murder_the_whole_of_the_community_mourns_1_104926
  19. ^ COURT: 'It was Ali Awan's knife ... he was a leader ... he liked to be big' - Environment - Peterborough Today
  20. ^ COURT: Ross was killed 'by a hunting party' - Environment - Peterborough Today
  21. ^ COURTS: Parents question bail in murder case - Environment - Peterborough Today
  22. ^ Legal / Professional - Minimum Terms, High Court setting of minimum terms for mandatory life sentences under the Criminal Justice Act 2003
  23. ^ ROSS PARKER TRIAL: Cold-blooded, racist murder - Environment - Peterborough Evening Telegraph
  24. ^ COURT: Deputy mayor's defence for Ali - Environment - Peterborough Today
  25. ^ COURT: Jury hears accused describe killing as 'a bloodbath' on secret tapes - Environment - Peterborough Today
  26. ^ COURT: Expert tells jury of DNA linking Nazir to knife used in killing of Ross - Environment - Peterborough Evening Telegraph
  27. ^ COURT: Mum's tears as jury hears how Ross was found lying in a pool of blood - Environment - Peterborough Evening Telegraph
  28. ^ COURT: Expert tells jury of DNA linking Nazir to knife used in killing of Ross - Environment - Peterborough Evening Telegraph
  29. ^ ROSS PARKER TRIAL: Cold-blooded, racist murder - Environment - Peterborough Today
  30. ^ Robertson, Denise (Oct 31, 2006). "Skin colour is irrelevant". The Journal (Newcastle).
  31. ^ a b Williams, Jon (1 December 2005). "Questions of murder". BBC News.
  32. ^ Presenters:Gavin Esler, Martha Kearney , Discussion Panel: Mark Easton, Kelvin McKenzie, Lee Jasper Interviewee: Davinia Parker (2006-10-08). "Newsnight". Newsnight. BBC. BBC Two. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |transcripturl= and |episodelink= (help); Unknown parameter |city= ignored (|location= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  33. ^ Brendan Montague (November 12, 2006). "The hidden white victims of racism". The Sunday Times. London. Retrieved 22 December 2010.
  34. ^ "The hidden white victims of racism". The Times. London. 12 November 2006.
  35. ^ Brown, Jonathan (9 September 2006). "How two racists faced each other in court, then shunned prejudice to become friends". The Independent. London.
  36. ^ RACISM: Community condemns graffiti - Environment - Peterborough Today
  37. ^ Easton, Mark (8 November 2006). "Racism and race crime redefined". BBC News.
  38. ^ FUNERAL - Tributes paid to 'beacon of light' - Environment - Peterborough Today
  39. ^ MURDERED - Tributes to Ross on eve of funeral - Environment - Peterborough Today
  40. ^ IN FOCUS: Three years on the sense of loss is still so real - Environment - Peterborough Today
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