British man denies Qatari's manslaughter
Originally published in Gulf Times on March 14, 2009
A British man pleaded not guilty to the manslaughter of Qatari student, Mohamed al-Majed, after appearing in the court in England yesterday.
Sixteen-year-old Mohamed lost his life due to severe head injuries on August 25 when he was allegedly beaten by a four-member gang of youths in Hastings, East Sussex two days earlier.
In what was cited at the time as a racially-motivated attack, Mohamed and his friends were apparently pelted with glass bottles and then beaten by the gang who then fled the scene, a kebab joint.
The incident triggered a public outcry in Qatar - as well as condemnation in the UK - with the teenager’s family calling for justice while expressing their faith in the British justice system.
Yesterday that faith appeared to bear fruit when George Austin (21) from South London appeared in court.
Austin from Bemondsey, south London, is accused of the unlawful killing of 16-year-old.
Wearing a yellow T-shirt and jeans, Austin appeared in the dock at the court yesterday alongside two other defendants, Paul Rockett (20) and Alexander Quinn (18).
Rockett of Burwash pleaded not guilty to a charge of racially-aggravated common assault on one of Mohamed’s friends while Quinn of Hastings pleaded not guilty to his charge of wounding another of the student’s friends.
Austin was remanded in custody to appear for trial at the court on September 21.
Quinn and Rockett, who were granted bail, will go on trial along- [word appears cut off] side Austin in the case, which is expected to last up to four weeks.
Police arrested Austin on an aircraft which landed in the UK from Cyprus last November 20.
Mohamed was studying English at EF International Language Schools in Hastings and had been in the seaside town for about five weeks.
His body was flown to Qatar after he died at King’s College Hospital in London.
Following his death there was immediate condemnation in both Britain and Qatar.
Such was the shock at the appalling crime that residents in Hastings held a commemoration, where hundreds of locals and town officials gathered to observe two minutes silence and released balloons.
And in Doha scores of residents, sporting yellow shirts and armbands, held a march at the Corniche in solidarity with the family of Mohamed.
Relatives of the deceased were present on both occasions.
As Published
