Slovak sent behind bars for racially-motivated attack

The Regional Court in Trencin, west Slovakia, has sentenced a 28-year-old man to four and a half years in prison for an attack on a girl of Arab origin, TA3 television reported today.

His accomplice received a one-year suspended prison sentence.

The man from Trencin and his accomplice, 26, attacked a 20-year-old girl with a baseball bat in 2001. They threatened to kill her and shouted racist slogans, TA3 said.

Slovak police accused several persons of racially-motivated attacks in the past period.
Last year, 155 racially or ethnically-motivated crimes were registered by the police, which is 33 fewer than in the previous year.