Audio Reveals Man's Racist Threats Against Charity Workers in Northern Ireland

Audio recordings reveal William Brown making racist threats to charity worker Takura Makoni, highlighting calls for stronger race hate crime laws in Northern Ireland amid rising tensions.

Audio Recordings Reveal Racist Threats to Charity Workers

Audio recordings of William Brown making racist threats to charity workers have been obtained by NI.

Warning: This article contains language that some readers may find offensive.

A charity worker who was threatened with a bullet to the head and warned that everyone in his workplace would be "burnt to a crisp" has called for stronger legislation to address race hate crimes.

Takura Makoni was also threatened with being beaten with a hammer and having his face turned "into a pizza." The threats occurred in March last year during two phone calls filled with expletives, which Makoni recorded.

William Brown, 28, from East Street in Newtownards, received a suspended prison sentence in April after being convicted of making threats to kill Makoni. He was also convicted of making threats to damage property and improper use of a public communications network.

Brown was not convicted of a race hate crime because such an offence does not exist in Northern Ireland.

Calls for Dedicated Race Hate Crime Legislation

Makoni, a policy officer at the African and Caribbean Support Organisation Northern Ireland (Acsoni), expressed that this absence represents a failure in the justice system.

"We need a dedicated law speaking to the issues of racially-motivated crime and if we have that law then we have a deterrent," he said.

"And in terms of reporting of these crimes then we also have the security that if our crimes are reported something will be done, because confidence in the justice system is very low when it comes to issues around racially-motivated crimes."

He emphasized the importance of legislative change, especially considering the rising racial tensions in Northern Ireland, which have led to violent disorder on the streets over the past three summers.

Details of the Threatening Calls

During the phone calls shared with NI, Brown used highly offensive racist language towards Makoni and repeatedly told him to return to his home country.

In the expletive-filled rants, Brown asked: "What country are you from? Are you a Muslim? You're in my country. You adhere to our laws."

He further called Makoni a foreigner and immigrant, stating: "This is a Christian country for Irish and British and Scottish and Welsh and Anglo-Saxons." He added it was not a place for Muslims "like you."

Makoni noted that he and others from minority ethnic backgrounds frequently encounter racist language daily, with some experiencing worse, such as attacks on their properties or physical assaults.

Concerns Over Threats to Acsoni Building

Makoni expressed particular concern about Brown's threat to burn down the Acsoni building, which also houses a south Belfast charity supporting young children and mothers.

"If he had damaged the building, he would have impacted the residents of south Belfast, of which they are Catholics, Protestants, blacks, whites, Muslims, Christians, Jews, Muslims," he said.

"The impact would have been profound, and not only the harm on the building, but what if there had been people in the building when this act that he was threatening to, you know, commit happened? So it was a real concern."

Takura Makoni is looking at the camera. He wears a black wrap on his hair. — Image caption, Takura Makoni said he supported a "restorative outcome"

Sentencing and Legal Context

Brown was sentenced to nine months in prison, suspended for three years. The sentence was enhanced due to hostility, indicating that racial motivation was proven.

However, according to Victim Support, which advocates for victims of race hate crimes, such enhanced sentencing is uncommon.

Michael Avila, a managing consultant for Victim Support, told NI:

"Currently you cannot be convicted for a hate crime in Northern Ireland.

"You're convicted for, say, assault. Potentially then the judge may add on at the sentencing stage that there was a hate motivation and maybe stricter sentencing. But that's quite rare."

"That does a disservice to victims."

Data from the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) obtained by NI showed that in 2024/25, of the 79 defendants convicted of racially-motivated offences, only 21 received enhanced sentences due to the aggravating feature of their offences.

Legislative Developments

New legislation to address this issue and the broader increase in race hate crimes is progressing through the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Earlier this year, the Department of Justice (DOJ) introduced its Sentencing Bill, aimed at reforming how racially-motivated hate crimes are prosecuted.

The bill proposes a "statutory aggravator model," which the DOJ states will "provide a system-wide response to the criminalisation of the hate element of crimes."

The DOJ explained the bill "requires the court to treat the offence more seriously, to state that the offence is so aggravated, to record the conviction in such a way that shows the aggravation, and, in imposing the sentence, to explain how the aggravation affects the sentence imposed."

This model was recommended six years ago by former judge Desmond Marrinan.

Avila from Victim Support said implementing the model would ensure consistency of hate motivation recognition from the initial report through prosecution and sentencing.