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When Terence Lynch sat down in the public gallery of Birmingham Crown Court,
he didn't expect to find himself in the cells for contempt of court.
Unfortunately, Lynch had chosen to hide his dreadlocks under a tam, the
crocheted or knitted hat, commonly worn by Rastafarian men.
After an argument with the presiding judge, when Lynch refused to remove his
hat, he was arrested for contempt of court and hauled off to the cells, where he
languished for two hours before being released without charge.
Judge Robert Orme told Birmingham Crown Court that he regretted the incident,
and that he had not meant to be disparagging about Lynch's religious faith.
At least His Honour had the decency to issue his apology and admit that he had
made a mistake. It is worrying, however, that had Lynch been the defendant in a
case before the Judge realised that Lynch was an entirely reasonable and
non-contemptuous man, he may well have been judged, at least partly, on his
choice of head gear. It would seem that there is still a long way to go before prejudice and racial
or religious misunderstanding is wiped out, even among those who should
know better.
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