A woman who attacked an Exeter student in an unprovoked, ‘racially aggravated’ assault at Exeter Quay in May has been sentenced to 150 hours community service. The woman also has to pay a fine of £75 after pleading guilty to the charge of racially aggravated common assault.
As Exeposé reported in May, a British national of Chinese origin, who is based on the Tremough campus, was punched in the head by the local woman, who also reportedly called her a ‘four-eyed Ch***ky bitch’, as well as pulling her hair.
The attack was captured on CCTV, and the arrested woman spent a night in the cells after being detained.
Exeposé understands that the accused pleaded guilty as the case was about to go into court.
The attacked student said of the result: “I’m absolutely pleased that the attacker was finally convicted and brought to justice and that the whole case is finally brought to an end. I hope this incident has brought awareness that racism has no place in society, especially in an ethnically diverse place like Exeter. Thank you for everyone’s help and support!”
Chris Rootkin, VP Welfare and Community, said: “I’m really pleased that the attacker in this incident has been convicted and will now face the consequences. I work closely with local police and community partners to make sure Exeter stays a safe and enjoyable place for our students to live, so it’s encouraging to hear that this case has now been resolved. I would advise any student who experiences any issues in Exeter to speak to the Students’ Guild Advice Unit.”
A new project to raise awareness of student safety on nights out has been launched by the Guild.
The project, SenseExeter, aims to highlight issues of alcohol consumption and safety returning home at the end of the night. Chris Rootkin, VP Welfare and Community, handed out wristbands at two of the biggest student nights, Timepiece on Wednesday and the Lemon Grove on Saturday.
In a recent article in the National Student, Lee Sheriffe, a young person’s alcohol worker, discussed the common dangers associated with binge drinking and heavy use of alcohol. One of the high risks identified was that alcohol can cause “blackouts and severe memory loss”, leading to “poor decision making”.
SenseExeter aims to combat this by encouraging students to be aware of their alcohol consumption, walk in groups or take a taxi, and be considerate of local residents. Students were encouraged to enter a competition on the website, and there was a good response to the campaign.
Currently, nearly a thousand wristbands have been handed out, and the continuing project will be linked with a larger alcohol awareness campaign in the future.
Jon Craggs, fourth year Maths student, said: “Students can be vulnerable when they’re walking home after a night out, and I think it’s important that the Guild does what it can to protect them.”
Emily Hickley, an Economics student, said: “Although student safety is an issue that the Guild needs to address, I’m unsure that this is an effective way of doing so”.
Chris Rootkin, VP Welfare and Community, said: “The ‘How did I get home?’ wristband campaign was developed to encourage students to think about their personal safety as they make their way home.
“By directly and personally engaging with students I hope they have been encouraged to think about these issues and to take in the information at http://www.senseexeter.com. Following the wristband distribution the website has received over 1,100 page hits and 119 survey responses which will inform future welfare campaign planning.
“One of my priorities is to work closely with the Students’ Guild, the University and the Exeter Night-time Economy Group to ensure that our students stay safe when out at night”.
Devon County Council is initiating consultation on street lighting in student living areas of the city, following plans to cut costs and carbon emissions associated with late night street lighting. The Council is inviting local county councillors, Exeter city councillors and the Police to provide their views on the initial proposals.
Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Highways, said: “This is the start of the consultation on streetlighting in Exeter and we’re keen to gather the views of stakeholders and residents in helping us
draw up the final plans. We are also aiming to develop a network of busy “walking home routes” which will remain lit all night. We have already gained some useful input from the University of Exeter Students’ Guild following their presentation to the Exeter Board last November.
The proposed final plans, which will be drawn up over the coming months are for some street lights in residential areas to be switched off between about 12:30am and 5:30am, before coming on again, until dawn. The St. James and St. Luke’s areas, inhabited predominantly by students, are now proposed as part of the protected areas that will remain lit, including popular routes home throughout the city.
Councillor Andrew Leadbetter, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Exeter, stated: “The input from local councillors, Police and the Students’ Guild will give us a solid starting point on which to consult further, so that we can produce a scheme in which we will all have been able to play a part.”
Since January 2010, over 35,000 streetlights across Devon have been converted to part night lighting. This has already saved around 4,000 tonnes of CO2 and approximately £1.2 million from the Council’s electricity bill. This has been contested by a campaign from The University’s Students’ Guild and Exeposé, which has had a large following of support from students.
Devon County Council is responsible for nearly 77,000 street lights, costing £2.2million in electricity and producing nearly 20,000 tonnes of CO2 every year. The switching off of the streetlights at specific times of the night is part of a wider package of carbon saving measures, which also includes night dimming and the use of low energy equipment and LED technology.
Grace Hopper, VP Participation and Campuses, said: “The discussions that the Students’ Guild has had with Devon County Council have been very constructive in recent months, leading to the much-changed starting point for proposals that we have seen today. Throughout this process, we have recognised the County Council need to cut carbon emissions and find financial savings; but we don’t feel these should be offered up at the price of community safety and the resulting wider costs to the public purse. ”
She added: “The overwhelming support our campaign has received from students and resident groups; as well as local Police officers, County & City Councillors, Ben Bradshaw MP and national safety agencies demonstrates the depth of feeling on the matter. We are pleased the new drawings we have been shown are reflective of these concerns.”
Exhibitions on the new plans are likely to be held in July. Dates and locations will be confirmed in due course on the County Council website.
A woman who attacked an Exeter student in an unprovoked, ‘racially aggravated’ assault at Exeter Quay in May has been sentenced to 150 hours community service. The woman also has to pay a fine of £75 after pleading guilty to the charge of racially aggravated common assault.
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