Edinburgh police have reportedly apologized to the family of a Chinese man for failing to recognize that his brutal killing at the hands of youths was racist.
An internal inquiry found significant failings in investigators repeated denials that racial prejudice fuelled the attack.
Before the killing in August last year,police were repeatedly called out by Simon San’s family over complaints of racial harassment and assault.
Immediately after the assault,witnesses reported hearing the youths describe the victim as a Chinky.
Despite this,and the family’s insistence that the murder was racist,police denied this when they passed their report to prosecutors.
John Reid,16,who backed the delivery driver up against a wall in Lochend,Edinburgh,and killed him with a single punch on August 10 last year,was found guilty of culpable homicide and sentenced to five years’ detention.
Michael Roberts and Keir Rodger pled guilty to assaulting San by rocking his car and forcing him to leave the vehicle.
Roberts was sentenced to 42 months,Rodger to 34,and an unnamed 14-year-old,who admitted breaching his bail conditions but denied assault,was referred to the children’s hearing system. The trial judge described them as pack animals.