Two men have been convicted of kicking an 81-year-old Muslim grandfather to death in an “unprovoked” attack in Rotherham last year.
Mushin Ahmed died after he was punched, kicked and stamped on by Dale Jones and Daniem Hunt as he returned home from prayers at the local mosque last August.
The Daily Mail reports jurors at Sheffield Crown Court were told how Mr Jones flew into a “raging fury” fuelled by drink and drugs, accusing Mr Ahmed of being a “groomer” before attacking him.
Prosecutor Andrew Robertson QC said: “Jones immediately accused him of being a groomer. No doubt his word for paedophile and no doubt an accusation made by Jones for no better reason than Mr Ahmed was Asian.”
Mr Ahmed suffered severe injuries and was kicked so hard that the imprint of Mr Jones’s trainer was left on his face.
Mr Jones was convicted of Murder and sentenced to a minimum of 32 years in prison. Mr Hunt was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 14 years.
Detective Chief Insp Victoria Short said: “This brutal and unprovoked assault sent shockwaves through the local community, where Mr Ahmed was well-liked and highly regarded.
“This extreme violence is nothing short of sickening and highlights just how dangerous these individuals are.
“Hunt and Jones have never given an explanation for their own vicious actions that evening, but the court heard how Mr Ahmed was assaulted because of the colour of his skin, a fact that is as disturbing as it is despicable.”
The sentencing comes as tensions increase in the town following the revelations of mass child sexual exploitation by gangs of Muslim men.
Earlier this month, a gang of 12 men were sentenced after being convicted of multiple rapes against a vulnerable teenage girl.
The men were given sentences of up 18 years for the repeated attacks after the trial heard how the girl was raped “in car parks, parks and church yards”. The men also branded the girl a “little white slag” and “white bastard” as she lay crying on the floor.