Attorney charged with hate crime in attack on teenager in Barbados
October 19, 2006
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (AP) - A Barbadian man and his son have been charged for allegedly beating a black teenager as the victim walked through an upscale Bridgetown suburb.
Mark Goodridge, a 53-year-old attorney of mixed-race ancestry, was charged Tuesday with assault and inciting racial hatred. His 23-year-old son, Simon Goodridge, has been charged with assault.
During the alleged attack, which witnesses said left the 15-year-old boy crumpled on the street, police said Goodridge shouted a racial epithet. The victim was treated for minor injuries at a local hospital.
The motive for the October 6 attack was unclear.
Racially charged violence is rare in the Caribbean island of Barbados, where about 90 per cent of the 280,000 people are black.
Author: Observer Reporter
Source: Jamaica Observer
