Man admits daubing racist graffiti on Salford family home
54-year-old Vaughan Dowd from Salford will be sentenced at a later date.
Last updated 26th Feb 2019
A man has admitted daubing "No Blacks'' on the front door of a family home in Salford.
Vaughan Dowd, 54, from Salford, pleaded guilty to a single count of racially aggravated criminal damage at Manchester Magistrates' Court on Thursday.
Dowd, wearing jeans and a brown jumper and shirt, spoke only to confirm his name and details and to plead guilty to the offence in Salford on 8th February this year.
District Judge Mark Hadfield said the sentencing powers of the magistrates court were insufficient to deal with the case and he ordered Dowd be dealt with at Manchester Crown Court at a later date.
The court heard how Mr Dowd used his own fob to get in and out of the block of flats as he carried out the act, covering his face as he sprayed a flat door and two communal doors with racist slurs. He then returned to the flats with his face uncovered.
It took more than a week to arrest him, after victim Jackson Yamba took to Twitter to call out Greater Manchester Police for the delay in investigating.
Police finally attended and started investigating on Sunday 17th February.
The court heard a man was spotted on CCTV at the time of the attack and Mr Dowd’s own access fob was linked to the times of the crime.
Defending, Lorna Wincote, said Mr Dowd underwent a mental illness assessment after his arrest, as he had no prior history of racist behaviour. An NHS intervention worker told the court that Mr Dowd had told her it was a ‘completely stupid and unexplainable act’.
In a victim impact statement, Mr Yamba said:
“This has left me feeling very, very angry, targeting me like this has left me in a very bad way.
I’m now on edge and worry about every little noise I head outside my flat and I can’t sleep at night.”
Mr Dowd is due to be sentenced at Manchester Crown Court on 21st March.