Racist "astonishingly lucky" to avoid jail despite causing shopkeeper's family misery
A racist was "astonishingly lucky" to avoid jail after "wounding" the Asian family who owned his local shop by repeatedly racially taunting them.
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Richard Wood, 49, repeatedly spewed vile racist taunts to the family in their Tividale shop in 2022 and has previous convictions for racist crimes.
Wood pleaded guilty at Wolverhampton Crown Court to two charges of racially aggravated threatening behaviour causing fear but was told by Judge Simon Ward he should have faced more serious charges.
Judge Ward said: "In my view, you were astonishingly lucky that the prosecution did not decide to charge you with racially aggravated harassment, the evidence was there for that. This would be a longer sentence - and one I would not be able to suspend.
"If you ever do this sort of thing again, whoever is prosecuting might realise that is what should have happened this time and charge you with racially aggravated harassment."
