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.