Two men sentenced following racial aggravated assault in Woolston

Towards the end of February 2021, an alarming incident took place in Woolston, and there was a lot of coverage via social media. Well, 15 months on, the issue has been dealt with by the courts, with the police providing an update today.

On 23 February 21, not long after 4pm, racial abuse was shouted from a passing vehicle to a man in his 30s who was out jogging. This happened on Vosper Road, Woolston. One suggestion made was that the man should “return to his own country”.

On jogging into Victoria Road, the car followed and pulled over. The driver and a passenger proceeded to assault the poor man, kicking and punching him. As a result, the man suffered injuries to his face and elbow.

The two men in question were later found and arrested. A search of the vehicle was also made, and a knuckle duster and baseball bat were found; neither were used in the incident, but both were seized and later destroyed.

The driver of the vehicle was Rory Marshall, 24, from William MacLeod Way. He pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of an offensive weapon in a public place. He was also found guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.  In court, he was given a 9 month custodial sentence.

The passenger of the vehicle was Ricky Goodman, 36, from Windermere Avenue. He was found guilty of racially aggravated assault occasioning actual bodily harm. He was sentenced to 13 months in prison.

Via social media, Chief Inspector Ricky Dhanda, deputy district commander for Southampton, said:


“No-one should expect to go for a run in the afternoon and be subjected to this kind of vile attack; it is an affront to what Southampton stands for.

We pride ourselves on being a city full of diverse cultures, and there is absolutely no place for hate crime. Rest assured that when anyone tries to sow hate among our communities, we will take action to root these individuals out.

I hope this sentence reassures our communities of our commitment to tackling hate crime, and encourages victims to come forward and speak to us. We will take you seriously and treat you with respect from the moment you make your report.”


Hate crime really does have no place, and the impact can be devastating. Should you witness any form of hate crime (resources are available online to better understand what is classed as a hate crime), this should be reported immediately.