‘Real culprit’ in Michael Shields case is jailed

Apr 11 2008 Liverpool Daily Post

Graham Sankey

A LIVERPOOL man named as the “real culprit” in the Michael Shields case in Bulgaria was yesterday jailed for five months for racially aggravated harassment.

Graham Sankey, 22, admitted the charge which involved hurling abuse for up to 10 minutes, while drunk, at a doorman who had thrown him out of the Walkabout Bar in Concert Square, Liverpool.

Witnesses told police Sankey, of Stanley Park Avenue South, Anfield, had made about 50 racist remarks towards doorman Solomon Fadipe, at about 3am on August 23 last year.

Jailing Sankey, Judge Henry Globe, QC, the Recorder of Liver-pool, said his remarks had left the victim feeling “useless, as if he was a second-class citizen.”

“Such behaviour in society is completely unacceptable and is a serious offence,” he said. “The remarks you made were grossly offensive and I am satisfied they were intended to have racial views of an extreme kind.”

He told Sankey, who has four previous convictions for public order and failing to surrender to bail, that if he commits another violent offence he risks being jailed for “a very long time”. Ian Davies, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court that at closing time in the bar custom-ers were asked to drink up, but Sankey ignored the request.

Nigerian-born Mr Fadipe took the drink off him and walked him towards the exit with his hand against his back.

He locked the first exit door behind them and after Sankey had gone through the front door on to the street he began his tirade of racial verbal abuse.

When police arrived, Sankey, an electrician, said, “You’re not going to arrest me for him? He’s a black man living in a white country. I’m white man, you can’t arrest me for him.”

When arrested, he said, “I’ve been stitched up in a white country,” said Mr Davies. Sankey denied being racist and said he would not racially abuse anyone.

Ben Morris, defending, said: “He feels a deep sense of regret for being involved and takes no pride in it.”

He said CCTV footage showed Sankey, who had consumed far too much alcohol, had been standing alone and quietly walked towards the door with Mr Fadipe.

“In the next shot, he is spread- eagled on the pavement on his hands and knees,” said Mr Morris, adding that the hand on his back had perhaps been applied vigorously.

“Sankey was shocked and angry and he turns and shouts at the closed door.”

Mr Morris said that Sankey attracts national media interest because of the Michael Shields case. “It has blighted his life and continues to do so.”

Sankey has been publicly named as the man responsible for the near-fatal attack on Bulgarian barman Martin Georgiev in a brawl in the Black Sea resort of Golden Sands after Liverpool’s Champions League triumph in Istanbul in May, 2005.

Sankey confessed in writ-ing to the attempted murder, but withdrew the statement claiming he had been involv-ed in a separate incident.

Michael Shields, 21, was jailed for 15 years but this was cut to 10 years on appeal. He is now serving his sentence in England.