Issuu

Paul Sabapathy calls it quits, says Pakistanis need to be taught courtesy Asian Voice | 19th September 2015

The Queen's personal representative in Birmingham, Paul Sabapathy (72), has resigned after making suggestions that the British Pakistanis needed to be taught “basic common courtesy and civility.” After an email that he wrote regarding the topic, Sabapathy CBE, HM LordLieutenant of West Midlands, quit the post he held since 2007. The email read, “Pakistanis are lovely people individually. But there is a lot of work to do to teach them basic common courtesy and civility.” It further said, “They talk to themselves and do not engage with the wider community. They are living in the UK not Pakistan. Whilst being rightly proud of their Pakistani culture and heritage, they need to explain better and engage with their

non-Pakistani brothers and sisters if they want their children to succeed as British Pakistani citizens.” Paul Sabapathy, pictured, the first non-white person chosen to be LordLieutenant, later regretted the mail and expressed his rue when approached by the media. He said, “I wish to apologise unreservedly and wholeheartedly for the offence I have caused to the Pakistani community and others, by the contents of my private email. I have today written to all those who received my original email to express my sincere sorrow and regret. I have asked for their forgiveness in the hope that my comments do not damage relationships between the many communities of the West Midlands.” “There is not one iota of

prejudice on my part and I am deeply sorry for the upset I have caused and I offer my sincere and heartfelt apologies. It has been a privilege to be the representative of Her Majesty the Queen and to serve the communities of the West Midlands for the last eight years. Having given the matter deep consideration and in the light of my wife’s ill health I have decided to

stand down as LordLieutenant of West Midlands to spend more time with my wife.” His comments are understood to be prompted by a group of 20 Pakistani men who were talking during his Pakistani Independence Day speech. Buckingham Palace issued a statement saying, “We understand that Paul Sabapathy has informed the Cabinet Office of his decision to step down from his role as Lord-Lieutenant in the West Midlands. The Royal household would like to acknowledge the tremendous work done by Mr Sabapathy since his appointment in 2007 to support the work of the royal family and to bring together and work with the communities in the West Midlands.”

Man from Bolton among those killed in Mecca crane crash A father of four from Bolton fell victim to the Saudi crane crash, mere hours after arriving in the city for his first pilgrimage to Mecca. A private hire driver, Qasim Akram (32), was killed when a construction crane fell through the Grand Mosque in the Saudi city of Mecca. He had arrived with his parents who were believed to not be near him during the incident and escaped without injury. A local councillor and friend, Akhtar Zaman rendered his condolences, saying he had met with Akram

Qasim Akram

only days before his death. “He and his parents were in the same vicinity, the same area but he was maybe 50 yards ahead of his parents

and that's when the accident happened. They lost contact with him and they couldn't find him. They found out [on Saturday night] and the authorities identified him.” Zaman said he had been on the pilgrimage for around three to four weeks. Akram was an active member of the Masjid Al Aqsa mosque in Gilnow Road, Halliwell, where his father was secretary. The mosque's Facebook page shared a picture of Akram with a message that read, “We share not only the picture but also the pain and

grief of his departure from this world to the eternal abode of bliss.” Calling him a hard-working man, Zaman said, “I knew Qasim personally, he was the most pleasant, hard-working, smiling and helpful young man you could ever meet. He's from quite a big family and they are devastated to the core. He is married and has four kids. I think the youngest may be oneand-a-half or two years old. People are praying at the mosques.” “It is a huge loss to the family and a big loss for the wider community.”

Dog-walker who foiled sex assault honoured by police A man who helped to stop a serious sexual assault while he was out walking his dog has been honoured by police. Robin Bamra heard the terrified woman screaming in Braunstone, in December. Mr Bamra, 55, who was walking his shih-tzu, Peaches, realised the person was in distress. He followed her voice until he found her and saw her pinned to the ground by 19-year-old Warren Laight. He had told her he was going to rape her. However, Mr Bamra and a woman who was also

passing by tackled Laight. When the woman pulled Laight off the victim he told her he was going to rape her, too. While the woman dialled 999, Mr Bamra calmly kept Laight talking, even learning his name and where he was living at the time. Mr Bamra, who lives in Braunstone, received a commendation from Chief Constable Simon Cole at the force's annual awards ceremony at force HQ, in Enderby, on last Thursday. He said: "I heard the screams and followed the sound and saw a young lady on the ground and she

was shouting 'please help me'. Her face was bleeding from where he had hit her and she said 'he is trying to rape me'. He was drunk and completely out of his head and was trying to be pally with me, saying things like 'it's her fault, I haven't done anything'. "The other lady had

called the police, so I decided I should try to keep him there by talking to him. I asked him where he was from and he even told me his name. He ran away as soon as he saw the police had arrived, but we told them everything he'd said and they were able to find and arrest him. To be honest, I don't think I did anything particularly heroic. I just thought the best thing to do was to keep him talking and find out as much as I could about him to tell the police. If the woman and I hadn't passed by that night I am scared to think what he might have done."

New Hindu free school for Leicester turned down A Hindu group has failed in its bid to open a new free school in Leicester. The Avanti Schools Trust had applied to the Department for Education (DfE) to create a new school to educate pupils from four to 16. But the trust says that the application has been turned down by the department on the basis that the shortage of school places in the city is not severe enough to warrant another school. The trust, which

already runs the Krishna Avanti Primary, in Evington, Leicester, which opened in 2011, says it is "extremely disappointed" by the news. The proposed school would have opened next September under the

name Avanti Farm. However, a spokesman for the trust has confirmed that it will reapply to the DfE. Trust spokesman Pradip Gajjar, said: "Naturally we are extremely disappointed but we believe we have a strong educational ethos and offer. We bring choice to the provision of children's education in the city and that choice is already highly regarded by our parents. We know there's a

need for more school places as the years go on and our bid brought a very positive approach to that. Therefore, the decision has surprised us in many ways. Because we think we have a strong educational case, we will be re-applying." Along with many other local authorities, Leicester, has a predicted shortfall of primary school places and has already begun work to create more, including the expansion of some primaries to alleviate pressure.

www.asian-voice.com

In Brief AsianVoiceNews

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

PC charged with conspiracy

West Midlands: It has been alleged that police officer, PC Amar Hussain (29), as well as two other men have been charged with conspiracy offences over “false and malicious” claims in 2014, that a police officer was was to be kidnapped in a terrorist plot. It is said that PC Hussain was charged by West Midlands police with conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office. PC Hussain has been granted bail.

CCTV images released in appeal over parking altercation outside gym

Leicester: Police have released CCTV images of men they want to trace in relation to an altercation outside a gym. The incident happened in Temple Road, in the North Evington area of Leicester. It occurred on Thursday, Mary 25, however, officers have only now been able to retrieve CCTV footage and pinpoint certain individuals. A police spokesman said: "A number of people were involved in the incident and two people sustained minor injuries that didn't require hospital treatment." Officers said a 62-year-old man has been spoken to in connection with the incident and is assisting police with their inquiries.

Men who delivered aid to refugees in Calais say conditions were 'disgusting'

Leicester: Three Leicester men who delivered humanitarian aid to Calais at the weekend said they were disgusted by the conditions the refugees had to endure. The team lead by Naeem Brisco, of Evington, drove a van to Naeem Brisco and Mohammed Omar France packed with food, clothes, medical kits, and sanitary items. The aid was supplied within two days of an appeal posted on Facebook asking people to donate. When they arrived at The Jungle refugee camp they found people walking around barefoot, hungry and cold. Naeem, 35, set off for the Calais camp with his brother-in-law Mohammed Omar, 18, and his friend, Kris Isa, 43.

£4 million drugs gang handed 36 years in prison after massive bust

Birmingham: Three men have been jailed for a total of more than 36 years after they were discovered with more than £4 million worth of heroin. The gang hid the drugs in pallets of car batteries but an undercover police investigation saw through the ‘ingenious’ scam. In March 2015, as part of a drugs supply investigation, police officers saw a man loading a VW Polo onto a recovery Zahid Mahmood vehicle. Later that day officers saw the same man – 43 year-old Zahid Mahmood from Hansworth - in Dover Road in Gravesend, meeting with Dutch national Bas Van Der Weijden. He was seen to unload a suitcase from the boot of a Skoda Fabia into the boot of the Polo that was on the recovery truck. The recovery truck was intercepted in Springhead Road in Gravesend and searched under the Misuse of Drugs Act. In the suitcase officers uncovered approximately 10 kilos of heroin and both men were arrested.

Solihull curry boss jailed for groping women jobhunters

Solihull: A curry house boss with “wandering hands” has been jailed for groping young jobhunters. Prashant Sengar carried out a string of sex attacks on terrified young women who applied for jobs at his diner – called Spicy Affair. The “arrogant” businessman claimed all six victims were lying – and shook his head as a judge jailed him for 22 months. Lee Marklew, prosecuting, earlier told the jury: “Prashant Sengar is a man with wandering hands. He’s an arrogant man. He abused his position of authority with these ladies.” Warwick Crown Court heard the businessman was twice questioned by police over the initial allegations before he was finally prosecuted. Sengar was convicted of seven charges of sexual assault and ordered to register as a sex offender for ten years.