Satpal Ram

On 16th November 1986, Clarke Edward Pearce had been enjoying a meal at an Indian restaurant with his girlfriend, when he got into an argument with an Asian man. The two were arguing about music, and this turned into a fight, in which the Asian man, Satpal Ram, stabbed Pearce 22 times in the neck and back.

Apparently Pearce was complaining about the music when Ram said, "Don’t you like paki music", and then lunged at him with a pocket knife. Ram then went to the bathroom to clean himself off. Ram, then very drunk, later went to the hospital, where the they refused to treat his cut face because of his violent, abusive behaviour.

Ram was arrested for the murder of Pearce. He was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. He did appeal against his conviction in 1995, but the appeal was rejected. In the last 15 years, Ram has been moved between 60 different prisons in the UK. There is a very large appeal to free him, and campaigners claim he was the victim of a racist attack, and is a political prisoner. In 2001 Ram’s appeal for parole was rejected, despite the Parole Board recommending he went free.