Andrew Dodds, 31, of Toft Crescent, Murton, County Durham, has been sentenced for a racially aggravated assault that left his victim with lasting injuries and trauma. The attack occurred on September 16, 2023, at Park Lane Metro station in Sunderland, shortly after Dodds had attended a football match.
Attack Details
The victim, a Newcastle man, had traveled to Sunderland to run an errand and was returning to the station when he encountered Dodds. According to prosecutor Miah Nath, Dodds asked the man where he was going and what he was doing. After an exchange, Dodds used vile racist language to verbally abuse him. When the victim responded, "don't say that to me," Dodds physically attacked him.
Nath told Newcastle Crown Court: "The defendant physically attacked him by punching him with so much force he fell to the floor. The victim felt very dizzy and when he was on the floor the defendant got on top of him and continued punching him in the face. He describes being subjected to multiple punches with a closed fist. He felt very sick."
Injuries and Aftermath
A security guard at the transport interchange alerted police. When officers arrived, Dodds was sweating heavily with blood on his face and knuckles. The victim was taken to hospital, where a CT scan revealed swelling and bruising to his head and around his eye. He also suffered swelling and bruising around his left eye, blood in the white of his left eye, swelling behind his left ear, tenderness to the back of his head, a cut to the inside of his top lip, and tenderness to his abdomen.
In a victim impact statement, the man said: "I got broken teeth which will remind me my whole life of this. I'm very upset and every time I leave my house I'm always worried someone is going to attack me. I'm also scared to leave the house alone." In a later statement, he added: "Since the attack I've experienced significant emotional distress. Before this, I was confident travelling alone using public transport and carrying on my daily life without fear. Since the attack I've become anxious and fearful when leaving home, particularly when travelling on my own. I often worry I will be targeted, abused or attacked again."
Legal Proceedings
Dodds was found guilty after a trial at magistrates court of racially aggravated assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Nath noted: "This offence was motivated predominantly by the race of the victim." When interviewed, Dodds said he was "merry but not mortal" in terms of his intoxication.
Sentencing, Recorder Andrew Walker said: "He was left with extremely unpleasant injuries. This was appalling behaviour in public and is made more serious by the racial element of it." Dodds received a two-year suspended sentence, 200 hours unpaid work, an alcohol abstinence monitoring requirement, and must pay the victim £700 compensation.
Defence Mitigation
Dodds' barrister, Emelia Boyle, said he believed his "one mistake has ruined his life" and noted he is in employment. She added: "He is of good character and this was entirely out of keeping with him as a person. This is completely and utterly out of character." Boyle stated he was facing "difficult circumstances" at the time and was intoxicated after watching a football match. She told the court: "He is remorseful and wants to apologise to the victim and massively regrets it. He is absolutely mortified. What this man needs is intervention. He would clearly benefit from working with probation to address the attitudes he has."
