Post by Harry on Oct 16, 2007 13:30:42 GMT
Sectarian attacker gets 22 years
A County Antrim man who beat a man until he thought he had killed him has been jailed for 22 years.
Aaron Thomas White, 35, of no fixed abode, was told that his attack on Michael Liam Reid four years ago was "unprovoked" and "viciously sectarian".
Mr Reid, a Catholic, only survived because he pretended to be dead.
He had been visiting a friend in Ballymena when White, his brother Neil, 30, and another man attacked him with a knife, a saucepan and a ligature.
The third man has never been caught, while Neil White is already serving a 16 year jail term for his role in the attack.
The attacked happened in a house in Patrick Place, Ballymena, on 11 October, 2003.
At an earlier hearing, Mr Reid described how he played dead and was forced to watch and listen as White ordered a saw to cut up his body for disposal.
Strangled
Mr Reid was cut 16 times, beaten with a saucepan, kicked and subjected to an attempted strangulation.
Passing sentence, Mr Justice Gillen said: "This community had now stepped back from the abyss and it is to he hoped that crimes such as this have now been consigned to the dark side of the past.
"However in the context of Northern Ireland, few offences strike closer to the very fabric of our society than those fuelled by sectarianism particularly where the intent is to kill.
"I can conceive of no more reprehensible motivation and accordingly, such crimes are characterised as being as serious as any to come before the courts."
A County Antrim man who beat a man until he thought he had killed him has been jailed for 22 years.
Aaron Thomas White, 35, of no fixed abode, was told that his attack on Michael Liam Reid four years ago was "unprovoked" and "viciously sectarian".
Mr Reid, a Catholic, only survived because he pretended to be dead.
He had been visiting a friend in Ballymena when White, his brother Neil, 30, and another man attacked him with a knife, a saucepan and a ligature.
The third man has never been caught, while Neil White is already serving a 16 year jail term for his role in the attack.
The attacked happened in a house in Patrick Place, Ballymena, on 11 October, 2003.
At an earlier hearing, Mr Reid described how he played dead and was forced to watch and listen as White ordered a saw to cut up his body for disposal.
Strangled
Mr Reid was cut 16 times, beaten with a saucepan, kicked and subjected to an attempted strangulation.
Passing sentence, Mr Justice Gillen said: "This community had now stepped back from the abyss and it is to he hoped that crimes such as this have now been consigned to the dark side of the past.
"However in the context of Northern Ireland, few offences strike closer to the very fabric of our society than those fuelled by sectarianism particularly where the intent is to kill.
"I can conceive of no more reprehensible motivation and accordingly, such crimes are characterised as being as serious as any to come before the courts."
