Woman jailed after pulling hijab from victim in racist attack

A WOMAN who launched a racist attack against a Muslim and pulled her hijab from her head as she robbed her of her phone has been jailed for more than two years.

Eileen Kennedy, 28, and her 16-year-old niece Paige Bain assaulted Umaimi Musa in Glasgow in September.
The teenager also assaulted Ms Musa’s friend, Mary Marandran, who was five months pregnant with her third child.

The victims were sitting in a playpark when they heard one of the accused make racist comments before they were ­attacked.

The incident was captured on CCTV and the camera operator alerted the police as the incident happened.

Passing a sentence of two years and six days on Kennedy yesterday, Sheriff Kenneth Mitchell told her: “There is no place at all in a modern Scotland for this sort of behaviour.

“This is a very serious matter. Your conduct was wholly unacceptable, and conduct of this sort can only result in a custodial sentence.

“You joined in a sustained attack upon this lady and robbed her of her mobile phone.”

Social work reports had been requested by the sheriff before passing sentence, but Bain’s was not ready. She will return to be sentenced next month.

Kennedy and her niece pled guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court to racially assaulting 41-year-old Ms Musa to her injury.

Kennedy also pled guilty to resisting arrest and claiming she had an infection before spitting on a police officer.

Bain admitted the racially ­aggravated assault on Mrs Marandran, 40, by repeatedly punching her on the head and pushing her to her injury.

The court heard Ms Musa, from Darfur, Sudan, and Mrs ­Marandran, from the Congo, were sitting on a bench when they heard the racist phrases, which were the precursor to the assaults.

Procurator fiscal depute Mark Allan, prosecuting, said: “The second named accused, Bain, repeatedly punched the then pregnant Mrs Marandran on her head and pushed her.”

He told the court that both accused demanded Ms Musa’s mobile phone and tried to grab it from her after she told them she was going to phone the police.

Mr Allan said she was punched on the head which caused her to fall to the ground.

He added: “Once on the ground, she was repeatedly punched on her head and body. Her hijab was pulled from her head and she was robbed of her mobile telephone.”

Both Mrs Marandran and Ms Musa were taken to the Royal Infirmary hospital, in Glasgow, to be checked. Ms Musa had a bruised left cheek, a grazed knee and a sore neck.

Mrs Marandran suffered no damage to her unborn baby but had some muscular pain.

Defence lawyer Marco Buonaccorsi told the court Kennedy had been on a four-day drinking binge before the incident. He told the court the CCTV footage showed she initially tried to keep her niece from attacking the women and became involved when they were told the police would be contacted.

He added she had shown remorse for her actions.