Must not say that Indians in Britain work in shops

Patels were originally small landlords in the Indian State of Gujurat and many are still small businessmen, running shops, small hotels and motels etc. so the judge's guess was pretty good -- but he should have posed his thoughts as a question rather than as an assertion

A judge has quit after allegedly making a racist comment about an Asian crime victim in court.  Peter Hollingworth had asked lawyers to fetch the harassment victim so he could finish sentencing her ex-boyfriend.

Prosecutor Rachel Parker said she was unsure whether the woman in question, Deepa Patel, could attend at short notice due to work commitments.

The district judge allegedly replied: ‘It won’t be a problem.  ‘She won’t be working anywhere important where she can’t get the time off. She’ll only be working in a shop or an off-licence.’

When Miss Parker asked the judge to clarify his comments, he added: ‘With a name like Patel, and her ethnic background, she won’t be working anywhere important where she can’t get the time off. So that’s what we’ll do.’

At this point Miss Parker withdrew from the case at Preston Magistrates’ Court and told the judge: ‘I am professionally embarrassed. I cannot prosecute this case.’

The Crown Prosecution Service made an official complaint after the incident on October 30, and Mr Hollingworth resigned four weeks later from his part-time job as a deputy district judge.

Miss Patel, a 22-year-old from Preston, is currently working in an office after completing a law degree. She told The Sun: ‘I was born and bred in this country... it’s shocking and disgusting for anyone to say that, especially a judge.

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