THE sentencing of a man for an appalling hate crime – the second in west Dorset in less than a week – has been welcomed.

David Waterman has been sentenced for a racist attack on a man in Dorchester.

The Crown Prosecution Service released details of the case as it seeks to highlight issues during Hate Crime Awareness Week.

It wants to clamp down on racially and religiously aggravated hate crime, as well as homophobic and transphobic hate crime.

Earlier this week it hailed the sentencing of 19-year-old Billy Wiedenbruch who was jailed for racially abusing and threatening doctors and nurses at Dorset County Hospital.

On Wednesday, David Waterman, 47, of no fixed abode, appeared at Weymouth Magistrates’ Court having earlier pleaded guilty to racially aggravated common assault.

The CPS said the 31-year-old victim was in a coffee shop in Dorchester queuing for a drink when he was subjected to repeated verbal racist abuse by Waterman.

The victim left and was followed by Waterman who then violently assaulted him, striking him with a crutch to the shoulder, witnessed by a member of the public.

In a personal statement, the victim detailed feeling ‘stressed, upset and extremely angry’, and had trouble sleeping.

He said: “I have to deal with racist behaviour on a frequent basis. Since this incident I trust people even less because there were people in the coffee shop at the time and I was having to suffer racist abuse and no-one said anything or did anything to support me.”

Waterman was given a 12 month community order, with a six month alcohol treatment requirement, and 10 day rehabilitation activity requirement. He was ordered to pay £100 compensation to the victim.

Steve Hoolohan, Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor, CPS Wessex (Hampshire and Isle of Wight, Dorset and Wiltshire) said: ”Racially and religiously aggravated hate crime has a vast impact not only on the victim but on the wider communities, and has no place in our society. We are looking at our policy on prosecuting these crimes actively seeking the views of communities to help us shape our policies.”

He added: “Over the 12 months up to the end of June 2016, we have prosecuted 529 racially and religiously aggravated hate crime across Wessex, with 86.4 per cent resulting in a conviction, providing a conviction rate above the national average for victims of these appalling crimes.”

The CPS nationally has launched a public consultation and is asking for community views to help shape future policy to improve the response to racially and religiously aggravated hate crime.