Four men from Southport have been convicted following a racist attack on a doctor at the town’s hospital.
Dr Romio Shwahna was walking with his brother Rabea, who was visiting him on holiday, when they were set upon by a gang-of-four.
The group of drunks hurled racial insults before one of them, Daniel Rigby, began to punch the junior medic to the side of the face, causing him to lose consciousness.
Dr Shwahna woke to find Rigby beating him.
But the ordeal did not stop there – after fleeing into A&E the brothers were chased down after having traffic cones hurled at them, and assaulted.
Edmund Haygarth, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court: “All four males began to violently attack Romio and his brother, by kicking and mostly punching to the head and body.
“The two brothers were in defensive positions, hunched down with their arms up attempting to block the punches to their heads.”
The attack only came to an end when police arrived at the scene.
The gang, Rigby, 19, Gary Evans, 18, Jason Lynch, 21, and Craig Morgan, 18, initially claimed they were defending themselves. But they all later admitted racially aggravated common assault on April 24, 2009.
Judge Adrian Lyon said: “The national health service in this country has the benefit of a number of people who come from foreign countries and who serve the people of this country by providing them with medical care.
“This doctor was faced by four drunken young men who proceeded to assault him and his brother.
“It is perhaps surprising that the doctor feels able to serve the people of this country. We ought to be grateful to him, you ought to be grateful to him.”
He sentenced all of the men to 12-months behind bars but suspended for two years with supervision. Rigby, of Jane’s Brook Road, was ordered to do 100 hours unpaid work. Lynch, of Southport Road, was put on an anger management programme and Evans, of Duke Street, and Morgan, of Kew Road, were told to attend a promoting human dignity course.
Alan Lee, risk manager at Southport hospital, said: “We have a zero tolerance towards both physical and verbal abuse of our staff.
“They are here to help people in their hour of need, not to be a victim of such an attack.”
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