Man denies race hate assault and attacking two police

Raymond Rigby, 34, of Inglewhite, Skelmersdale, stood in the dock at Wigan and Leigh Magistrates’ Court to plead not guilty to the racially aggravated assault of Mehdi Zaki on June 6 and, on the same occasion, assaulting both PC Georgina Newcombe and PCSO Karl Melling during the course of their duties.

Rigby faces an alternative charge of assaulting Mr Zaki by beating without racial aggravation.

He denies all the charges and the case was adjourned for a trial on July 14 before which he is released on conditional bail which means he must not contact Mr Zaki and has to abide by an electronically-tagged night-time curfew.