Paul Rosenberg (murder)

Paul Jacques Rosenberg was a taxi driver who was murdered in a racial attack by a passenger in East Cowes in the Isle of Wight, England.

Mr Rosenberg was of South African "Cape Coloured" origin. He was murdered by Lewis Arnold in a dispute over a fare. Arnold later boasted to a friend, Wendy Nolan, that he had "killed him because he was black". This led to the crime being classified as racially motivated. Paul Rosenberg had travelled the world as a drummer in a jazz band. He came to Britain in 1951 and moved to the Isle of Wight in 1996. He lived on his own in a flat in the village of Rookley.

The Murder

Paul Rosenberg (56) worked for 3C cabs, driving a red Ford Mondeo and attended a call to Temptations night club in the town of Newport on 24 April 2003. There 20 year-old, unemployed Lee Arnold had been ejected after becoming drunk and assaulting his ex-girlfriend, knocking her down on the dance floor. He drove Arnold to East Cowes, where Arnold lived in a shared house in Bellevue Road. Rosenberg asked for an excess fare of four pounds, as he was entitled to do, due to the lateness of the journey. Arnold fled down a footpath and Rosenberg pursued him. Arnold punched Paul twelve times with 'severe force' before stealing his cash bag containing £300. Arnold told Wendy Nolan, a fellow tenant: 'I think I have killed the bloke. I only did it because he is black. He looked dead. I think he's dead. I kicked him.' She drove to where Arnold told her the attack took place and found Paul's body. Paramedics worked for 20 minutes to save him before he was declared dead.

Trial

Arnold was arrested after Nolan reported it to the police. At his trial in Winchester Arnold pleaded not guilty claiming that he had left Rosenberg alive, but had seen two strangers approaching him as he left. However the bloody imprint of Arnold's Yves St.Laurent trainer was discovered on Rosenberg's head. In May 2004, Arnold was found guilty and sentenced to life for his murder. It was ordered that he serve a minimum of 11 years and 341 days. Det. Insp. Jason Hogg commented: 'We are very pleased with the verdict. We feel justice has been done. This was a dreadful attack, made particularly horrible by the fact that there was a racist element.' In April 2005, after an appeal, Arnold's minimum tariff was reduced to just under 10 years.

Tributes

His brother, Bokkie Rosenberg, 54, from North London, said: "Paul was a quiet man, a private, deeply introspective and spiritual person, who, like his father, was a gentleman in its literal sense. He was working as a cab driver on the Isle of Wight, a place he had loved since he first went on holiday there.

"He was passionate about music and the beauty of creation. He was working out his last two months as a cabbie before devoting himself full time to music. We will never know the fruit of his musical endeavours to be.

"We were deeply moved by the verbal and floral tributes from his fellow cab drivers. He was clearly popular and respected.

Norm and Ginni Parrott, who run the 3Cs taxi company where Mr Rosenberg worked, described him as more than a taxi driver and a part of their family at the time of the murder. Yesterday Mr Parrott said his family was still very sad over Mr Rosenberg's death but pleased with the outcome of the case. "His death has influenced all of us, including our children. It's a very hard thing to get over but we will remember him forever in everyday life," Mr Parrott said. Mr Rosenberg had worked for 3Cs for four years. He was a keen member of the Apollo Players and music was his great love. He travelled the world as a drummer in the Ken Collyer Big Band in the 1970s.

References

archive.thisishampshire.net/2003/4/29/50123.html - 14k -

Isle of Wight County Press- www.iwcp.co.uk/ -