No mention of the first day of trial today :bash:
8 views and no response so far. Fk U.

Mother hears of 'racist murder with 2ft axe'
By Russell Jenkins

THE final moments in the life of Anthony Walker were played out before a jury yesterday as they learnt how he was singled out for murder because of the colour of his skin.

With the words “******s” and “coons” ringing in his ears, Mr Walker, 18, was chased through the streets and then cornered in a Merseyside park by two white youths. A single blow from a 2ft-long mountaineer’s axe was used to “punch a hole” in his skull.

His mother, Gee Walker, held her head in her hands at Liverpool Crown Court yesterday as the jury saw a 3-D graphic to show how the axe became embedded.

He was ambushed late at night after leaving his home in Huyton, Merseyside, with his cousin, Marcus Binns, 17, who was walking his girlfriend to the bus stop. Their tormentors confronted the trio with racist abuse and then followed them in a car.

Neil Flewitt, QC, for the prosecution, told how five figures caught up with them in a park. Marcus and his girlfriend, Louise Thompson, 17, were able to escape but Mr Walker was struck from behind with a blow of such force that the blade penetrated his brain. The sixth-former died in hospital six hours later.

The jury was told that the fatal blow was inflicted by Paul Taylor, 20, who lived in the nearby St John’s estate, in Huyton. Mr Taylor, nicknamed Chomper, has admitted the murder. His cousin, Michael Barton, 17, brother of the Manchester City midfield player Joey Barton, denies murder. Mr Barton, known as Ozzy, has denied conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm to Mr Walker and his cousin.

Mr Flewitt said: “It is the prosecution case that on July 29, 2005, Paul Taylor and Michael Barton and others pursued Anthony Walker and Marcus Binns for no reason other than the colour of their skin, with the intention of causing grievous bodily harm.”

The jury was told that on the day of the murder Mr Barton and his cousin had been engaged in an attempted burglary in the Rainhill area of Liverpool. That evening Mr Taylor was spotted by one witness scratching his nickname on a pub sign. “On the sign the name Chomper appears alongside a swastika motif,” Mr Flewitt said.

Mr Walker and his cousin left home in Tarbock to walk Louise to the bus stop. Mr Flewitt said they had been waiting at the bus stop for five minutes when a “lad” standing on a wall outside the Huyton Park public house began shouting abuse. Louise recalls the words “******s” and “coons”.

Mr Flewitt said: “Anthony Walker shouted back to the lad: ‘We’re only waiting for the bus and then we’re going’.

“The lad then shouted: ‘Walk ******, walk’. Sensing trouble, Anthony Walker and his friends started to walk to the next bus stop down. Paul Taylor and Michael Barton were present during the racial abuse. It may well be that it was one of them who was responsible for the abuse.”

The trio decided to take a shortcut through McGoldrick Park, where Louise was so scared that she made Mr Walker walk beside the bushes. At that point a group of three or four men jumped out of the bushes in the darkness. Louise fled while Marcus knocked on a door in a nearby street. He returned with the householder and his son in their car.

There was a picture of one of them in the paper. I hope he gets the justice he deserves, either in jail or outside.

I thought the whole thing is just terrible and if Anthony Walker hadn't have been black, this gang of scum would have found something else to attack him about, that's the sort of people they are, with that in mind it could just have easily been any of us.

I really hope they get put in a prison where most of the inmates are black or at least in a wing where they become the prison bitches for about a year before getting stabbed in the kitchens - Yes I know it's sounds extreme, but what they did was so evil, so cruel.

Words cannot describe how barbaric this act was. It is beyond me how someone could do that to another human being. Those responsible for this heinous act deserve to see out their days in jail. I hope time heals for Anthony's family, and they can someday find peace after this most awful time in their lives.

I really hope they get put in a prison where most of the inmates are black or at least in a wing where they become the prison bitches for about a year before getting stabbed in the kitchens - Yes I know it's sounds extreme, but what they did was so evil, so cruel.
:applause:

It send shivers through my body imagineing the poor lad with an axe stuck in his head these people are sickos.

Personally I find all murders wrong. Pity we don't have the ultimate penalty anymore but this would no doubt upset the liberals.

To kill a young lad just because of his colour shows how sick and dumb some people can be. Anthony must have been a brave lad to have put up with the daily abuse and threats. Let's hope for decent justice for the Walker family.

i still cant belive this happend in liverpool - th uk in 2005! how do people become so racist?

What an absolute piece of shit that Taylor sounds.

I'm sure he'll have a great time in prison, once the fellow con's know who he is and what he's inside for......

Sounds to me, the racist issue aside, that this Tayor and his mates were thugs who would have gone for anyone, the colour of Anthony Walkers face providing the excuse they were looking for. Carrying an axe in public, down the pub.

The Walker family have come across as very dignified and respectable in the media. It's a shame that this has happened to that family.

I'm not usually shocked by hearing of murders, but this one really got to me. Hearing about someone dying with an axe in his head just because of his skin colour sickened me.

Good to see they have both been found guilty.

I hope they never see day light again.

Very sad to hear, some prick has daubed the wall near where he was killed with racist graphiti - what is the point of these people :bash:

^ here, here.

Also the upmost credit and respect go out to his poor family. I've so much respect for them and how they've responded publicly to his killers. Must take an awful lot of faith and conviction.

Didnt know anthony was fighting with barton when the incident happened maybe he is not as innocent as first thought?

Didnt know anthony was fighting with barton when the incident happened maybe he is not as innocent as first thought?


he was probably defending himself, where is your source for this Tommygun?

he was probably defending himself, where is your source for this Tommygun?
It was on aol news when i heard that it made me think it could happen to anyone really.If you was drunk you dont know what you would do to help your friend.

Barton, who struggled to get the better of the powerfully built basketball player.

When it became clear that Anthony was winning the fight, Barton shouted "Get him off me!" and Taylor struck him from behind with the axe

what does winning the fight mean? stamping on his head.

Tommy your not seriously suggesting, drunk or not, that you would hit someone in the head with an ice axe to help your mate??

Tommy your not seriously suggesting, drunk or not, that you would hit someone in the head with an ice axe to help your mate??
You just dont know you really dont split second decision.

You just dont know you really dont split second decision.

that's right after taking drugs, calling someone a ****** and then attacking them only to find out they are stronger then you, yes it's only fair you attack them with an ice axe.

:ohno:

I just think they have made a big deal over this case because he is black and im not sure it was a racist attack thats what im trying to say.

I just think they have made a big deal over this case because he is black and im not sure it was a racist attack thats what im trying to say.

So they didn't call him a N I G G E R, they are right to make a big deal of this case because these two scum would have attacked anyone standing there that night, it could have been me it could have been you tommygunn and that is why we should all be angry about what they have done.

The authorities have every right to throw the book at these 2, Anthony is dead for being black, how much more serious can it be??

You can't pick a fight with someone over something so trivial and violence should only be used in self defence.

Didnt know anthony was fighting with barton when the incident happened maybe he is not as innocent as first thought?
Probably fighting to save himself after he was ambushed in a park in the dark by two yobs, one with an ice pick. Also just after he calmly left the bus stop where the same two yobs were racially threatening him. The two yobs at this point decided to go tooled up with the ice pick to ambush the lad.

I still can't get my head around this, violence has gone on since Adam was a lad and people wind each other up for all sorts of reasons, but being killed for the colour of your skin alone is abhorrent.

Well done to everyone who turned their backs on the convicted pair, now root the rest of the anti social tits out of our world.

Didnt know anthony was fighting with barton when the incident happened maybe he is not as innocent as first thought?

Tommy, you're having a laugh even entertaining the idea. The two nasty gob shites involved started and finished the whole thing. It doesn't matter how many beers I've had- and some times drinking too much scotch has made me a wee bit angry- I have never attacked anybody, either verbally or physically.

If a mate of mine started calling somebody a niger and picking on some blatantly peaceful individuals, I'd first try to shut the tit up- and failing that I'd walk off and leave him- and not speak to him again.

What these two did went well beyond all that. They're the kind of nasty twats that go out in town on a Saturday- get boozed up and then start beating people up. Sadisitic weirdos- Liverpool needs to wipe this menace off its streets.- as do many other British cities.

What these two did went well beyond all that. They're the kind of nasty twats that go out in town on a Saturday- get boozed up and then start beating people up. Sadisitic weirdos- Liverpool needs to wipe this menace off its streets.- as do many other British cities.

Totally agree and that's not me being sycophantic.

I just think they have made a big deal over this case because he is black and im not sure it was a racist attack thats what im trying to say.

Is this a joke?

So calling the lad a N****R then cynically ambushing him and lodging an ice axe in his skull doesn't qualify as a racist attack in your rose coloured world?

The media is right to make a big deal out of it, racism being a rather dispicable cowardly presence in our society needs to be wiped out as do the 2 wankers that did this to him and his (remarkable) family, personaly I'd take them into a field and shoot them firing squad style; leaving them there for the foxes. Lets face it, scum like this contribute nothing but misery to society, they serve no purpose whatsoever, why let tax payers feed and clothe the bastards for the next 20 something years? As for the neanderthal who sprayed that word at the spot where this poor lad was killed, I'd chop his fuckin hands off if I caught the TWAT!!!.

I hope some loony stabs both of them to death in prison, already they are pissing people off in Strangeways with their bad attitude according to todays' Echo.

scum like this contribute nothing but misery to society,

Indeed. The only consolation which has come out of Anthony Walker's untimely demise is that there are now two less of them on the streets.

One of them was just seventeen, and apparantly slow and dim. Not an excusefor murder, but it makes you wonder just what purpose a 17 year minimum sentence serves? Will he be a nice, safe, well-adjusted person when he is 34 years old? Does prison have that affect on people?

I'd rather he got a different sentence, and can think of two possibilities I would prefer.

The first is this. I can see a case for a whole natural life sentence, so that we and he all know he will never walk amongst us again. But those kind of sentences are probably best reserved for those we know are likely to kill again, and I don't get that sense about him.

A second option would be no minimum recommendation, or one of just ten years, so parole boards could see if he is capable of reform and reforms to the point at which he can a) credibly express remorse b) convince people that he will give something back to society when he is let out.

The pair of them sound like evil little fuckers, scum of the eath - I read today that they terrorised people from using local shops by deliberately kicking footballs at them - that might sound low-level compared to their racist murder, but it's a sign that they were sociopathic scum and were living in an effectively uncontrolled part of England. It's no good that they were allowed to do that, with no sanction, what were the Council, the police, and the local community groups doing that allowed that behaviour to go unchecked?

Personally, in the case of the older one, the one who actually killed the lad with the axe, I don't think 20 years is enough, and would like to see a 30 year minimum. Great if the family can forgive him, but he also offended against society, and I don't think people can forgive him, I know I can't. Jail is cruel, it shortens lives, so we'd be unlikely to see him again.

But for the younger one, on balance I think it would have been worth giving him the chance to grow up, mature, repent, and maybe be out in 10 years - or, if he can't grow up or repent or be trusted, never at all.

I think there is a big big difference between 17 and 20, and I think that stupid people need a tiny bit more leeway than clever people because, especially with young males who are stupid, they often mature slowly and need time to learn how to think through the consequences of their actions.

The other thing I would say is that these lads didn't invent the word "******", and they didn't teach themselves racism. They learned it with their family and friends. Again, none of it is an excuse, they are responsible for their actions and must face the consequences. But being practical, we have to consider whether they can be improved or made worse by jail, and what will happen when they come out. It is those practical issues that make be a bit uneasy about these minimum terms.

Some interesting points there Liverpolitan and on the face of it many will be inclined to agree with you about the younger one BUT..as we all know teenagers grow up a lot faster these days than say..when I was his age, he knew what he was doing and his actions afterwards(trying to get away abroad etc) should tell us he wasn't sorry for what he did. I'll never be able to understand people like this, brutally killing someone because of the colour of their skin is something I'll never get my head round, I hate racism, its a nasty scurge on our otherwise tolerant society along with homophobia and any other kind of bigotry. IMO no sentence would be sufficient for scum balls like this, they bring nothing but hatred and misery, their minds are polluted with hate and they have no place in this world, I know it sounds harsh but a public execution of these monsters would certainly make others think twice before carrying out any such acts in the future, if they were Arabs and they killed an English man we would be calling for their heads on a plate. Just a thought..

Good points Poli- I don't think prison is going to make these people better- but it does at least keep them away from civilised humans.- If anything, prison will make them worse. The reason they are the way they are is becuase of the way they have been brought up and socialised. Rubbing shoulders with other lunatics for the next few decades will only make them even worse.

I have met numerous "well-adjusted", middle class, professionals with racist views- the difference is that these two came from violent, more deprived back grounds where violence and stupidity is more acceptable in their actions.

Anyhow- they aren't dead like the victim- so I don't care whether they stay in jail infinto.

In a documentary shown last night by the BBC, Anthony's mother claimed that he went to school with Barton and the families know each other. This makes what happened even more chilling for me.

In terms of their sentences: both were given life sentences with tariff dates (the minimum amount of time each must serve before they are eligible for parole on licence). In effect a life sentence is indefinite. Unless someone can be said to be no longer a significant risk to the public and can convince a lifer panel accordingly that person will remain in custody.

In terms of Barton being a 'bit slow', an assessment would have been made of his fitness to plead (ability to follow the evidence, testify and instruct his legal team).

Another chilling thing for me is the realisation that it's easier to vilify the two guilty individuals than challenge the racist values endemic within the culture out of which they emerged. Racism is everywhere as is our complicity with it. Is there a culture or an individual anywhere who is not to some small degree racist? I doubt it.

Depends on how you define racist, Fitzroy?

Racism is everywhere as is our complicity with it. Is there a culture or an individual anywhere who is not to some small degree racist? I doubt it.

Good point. Anthony Walker was a victim of white racists, but there have been cases of white victims of asian or black racists (see the recent murder in Barking), and it's true that the BBC in particular pays less attention to them.

When we were a mostly white society, racism tended only to take the form of white perpertrators and ethnic minority victims. Indeed, some academics took this to mean that only members of a "majority" population could be responsible for racist dicsrimination against a "minority" popupation, and that it was a manifestation of a broade5 oppression of a minority group by the majority.

That liberal consensus had a lot of influence, especially in the liberal professions and media, who for years were loathe to accept the possibility of racist crime against whites. The BNP and other far-right groups have made a lot of capital out of this, as they have been prepared to name such crimes as racist when the police, courts and mainstream press were not. They have often gone too far in that, and used it to try to whip anti-black racism in return, but that is the fault of the liberals and press for allowing them to be the only ones prepared to discuss such things. Because such views became associated with the far-right, even reasonable people sometimes feared to express them.

That has sort of changed now, to quite a degree, for example it was an Asian commentator who expressed anger in a mainstream newspaper that the asian lads who murdered a white lad in Barking were not being condemned as racists within their own community.

I think this is do with us now being a far more mixed and multi-racial society. We now have a few boroughs were there is no white majority - and other places such as Birmigham will be the same within the lifetime of older forum members like me, on current trends. It's not that some big group called "ethnic minority" exists or is becoming a majority - there are dozens of groups and races within the new "majority" in those areas, and certainly in London a lot of the growth in minorities is amongst people from Eastern Europe rather than people from further afield. But a lot of the different ethnic groups don't always get on, and have racist dislikes of one another - and some members of some ethnic minorities do have a dislike of whites. How patronising it would be to believe that non-white people are incapable of the same human fears and failings that whites are, and that the white community uniquely contains within it a minority of people who will actively disciminate against others based on race.

So I think that racism, including racist murder, can no longer be described as necessarily white against minority, I think it's people against other people based on race, ethnicity, skin colour or religion. But that doesn't change the fact that Anthony Walker was the victim of a racist crime, he was racially abused and then murdered because he was black.

Sweet Jasus! Young Liverpoli says something I broadly agree with.