Another reason for racists to stay off the internet

In the age of Facebook, Myspace and their other less popular cousins (Bebo, Tagged, Friendster, etc) all kinds of information about an individual is out there in the public domain for all to see. And while some of that information might be fine for your circle of like-minded compadres, you may not necessarily  want prospective employers finding out what you REALLY think about those stinking immigrants. Likewise, when you get busted for drunkenly assaulting and abusing several non-white people and are trying to convince the judge you are not a racist, posting your hateful views on a social networking site may not be the smartest thing you have ever done, in hindsight...

RACISTS, THUGS AND COWARDS
TWO Hobart brothers are behind bars after admitting to a series of shocking racist attacks on strangers.
Samuel Craig Bigwood, 20, and Benjamin Nigel Bigwood, 18, both from Claremont, yesterday admitted punching and kicking two young university students in North Hobart last September 26.
Samuel also admitted bashing an African refugee on the same night after telling him he was a "black dog" and "not a human being".
The Supreme Court in Hobart was shown printouts from Samuel's MySpace page, which is full of white supremacist slogans and racist images.
The court heard the brothers got drunk at the Mustard Pot in Moonah before catching a taxi to North Hobart.
Samuel Bigwood later said he had consumed between 15 and 25 "Bundy and Cokes".
As taxi driver Fayia Isaiah Lahai drove the brothers and a third man towards the city, Samuel said to him: "You're a black dog animal and not a human being."
Mr Lahai said: "I am a human being, just like you", to which Samuel replied: "You are not."
He punched the driver twice to the face and three times to his ear.
The men then got out of the cab without paying the fare, but not before Samuel poured the contents of his beer into the car.
The three men got cash from the Commonwealth Bank ATM on the busy Elizabeth St restaurant strip in North Hobart, just as university students Ryan Brown and Andrew Farquhar were approaching.
The Bigwoods made comments to Mr Brown, whose mother is Indonesian, to the effect of: "You'd better watch yourself" and "He's just a f...ing Asian."
They also called him a "Chink".
Crown prosecutor Tony Jacobs said Mr Brown, 21, gave the thumbs-up sign and tried to walk on, but was attacked by the trio.
He was punched in the head a number of times, knocked down and repeatedly kicked.
When Mr Farquhar tried to intervene he too was punched and kicked repeatedly to the head and body.
Police were called and the three were arrested as they tried to flee.
Mr Brown suffered a fractured eye socket and still experiences reduced sight and nightmares.
Mr Jacobs condemned the attack on Mr Lahai, who he said was vulnerable as a taxi driver working at night.
The refugee from Sierra Leone had worked long hours to support his wife and four children while he finished his university studies, but had since given up the job out of fear, Mr Jacobs said.
Samuel Bigwood's lawyer Kim Baumeler argued the attacks were not racially motivated and her client had in fact enjoyed spending time with people of various races.
"He's mortified that these incidents are being portrayed as ... racist attacks," Ms Baumeler said.
That assertion was rejected after Mr Jacobs produced images from Samuel's MySpace page, which is full of racist slogans such as "100% white, 100% proud" and "f..k off we're full" on a map of Australia.
Justice Peter Evans said it was clear Samuel was "contemptuous of people of a different race" and prone to drunken violence against those he considered "his inferiors".
Benjamin Bigwood's lawyer Garth Stevens said his client was an industrious young man with an excellent future ahead of him.
"This was an aberration, as bad as it was, that won't be repeated," Mr Stevens said.
"He doesn't go out at all or very rarely since the events of this night."
The court heard the men's father Nigel Bigwood was murdered after a bar-room brawl in Zeehan in 2004 and both were terrified of running into their father's killer in prison.
Samuel pleaded guilty to three counts of assault and Benjamin pleaded guilty to two counts.
They were remanded in custody and will be sentenced on Monday. Their mother broke down in tears as they were taken into custody.

The two brothers seem like pretty troubled individuals, as you can see from this story; their father was killed while drunkenly confronting someone with an axe, which probably tells you quite a bit about their upbringing. But you could also point out that having a Myspace page with images like these (left) are pretty clear signs of a troubled persona also. I won't claim to know the minds of these two men, but perhaps it is evidence of how hatred can be an easy refuge for those who are dealt a sh*tty hand in life.