'I got the racist who attacked me with an umbrella convicted - but the sentence left me heartbroken'
It was a July evening when Shabir Makim stepped out of his local Tesco Express. The dad-of-two was picking up some groceries for Sunday night dinner in the quiet Stockport village of Cheadle, when he witnessed a conversation that made him stop in his tracks, pull out his phone, and start recording. The footage he captured is shocking.
"I have so many after-thoughts," he said. "I really feel like he has got away with it. I'm heartbroken, really. There is a part of me saying whatever happens happens for the best and that I should put my trust in the Lord and all that - but then I get angry." "All my life, racists have done what they want and got away with it," he said. "I was determined to get this guy caught". This time, because of the video, he felt confident of getting justice.
Defending himself in court, Browne said on the day of the offence, he had come from the funeral of a friend and ex-soldier who he served with in Iraq. He 'apologised' for his behaviour, branding it 'unacceptable', but suggested the incident had been blown out of proportion. But the sentence was suspended after magistrates found Browne had a 'realistic prospect of rehabilitation'. Shabir thanked the bench while in the courtroom - but he says that in reality he was 'heartbroken'.
"Do they expect rehabilitation to happen naturally?," he asked. "There's injustice in the legal system. It's all completely wrong, it feels completely broken. Racism isn't seen in a serious light."