A Swindon man who assaulted a Turk in a race attack has been jailed for 15 months.

Shane Timms branded his victim a Dirty Turk as he hit him with what was believed to be a knife in his hand, in a row over parking, a court heard.

Claire Marlow, prosecuting, said that Timms was at his brother's house in the town in May last year when the fracas took place.

She said the victim, 23-year-old Ali Sari, was with two friends when an argument over the position of a parked car took place between his group and Timms' group.

"During the course of the incident a knife was used by Shane Timms," Miss Marlow said.

"Timms attempted to hit his victim in the face but it was Mr Sari's left hand, which he put up to defend himself, which was cut."

She said the blow caused a three centimetre long cut but it was relatively superficial.

Timms, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to racially aggravated actual bodily harm.

Michael Butt, prosecuting, said: "This is a man who has been mentally ill now for a number of years. He is a paranoid schizophrenic."

He said that because of his condition his client reacted badly when he felt under threat.

Mr Butt said that the weapon Timms used was actually an eight-inch metal bar with a sharp edge and not a knife, but that made little difference to what took place.

"It seems, bearing in mind his fragile mental state, he feared some threat of an attack taking place," said Mr Butt.

"He was going to the assistance of his brother and at the time of doing so he had not a knife but a metal bar with a jagged edge to it.

"It maybe that in the heat of the moment the victim thought this was a knife."

He said that the probation service said he was not suitable for community service or a probation order which meant that a jail term was inevitable.

Timms had failed to turn up for a court hearing in May last year and had been remanded in custody since December last year staying in a secure mental hospital and the medical wing of the prison.

Speaking after the hearing, Chief Inspector Paul Williams said: "Wiltshire Constabulary polices a multi-cultural society which can display examples of racism.

"This is reflected by the racist incidents that we have to deal with, all of which are treated sensitively and with utmost seriousness.

"This prosecution shows that we do not and will not tolerate hate crime of any kind."

Jamie Hill