A newspaper says a revenge attack on the chief witness in a court case will not alter the way editorial decisions are made in the future.

Derek Senior, (50), is still in hospital with serious injuries after being shot at home only days after four white men were jailed for a sickening attack on him in a pub.

The shooting occured after media publicity about the case, which was heard in court last Friday.

The Nottingham Evening Post’s story was published on Monday, complete with pictures of all four defendants, and the victim was shot in his own driveway that evening.

The report told how the court heard he was set upon, beaten up with fists and pool cues, and had some dreadlocks pulled out and paraded around the pub as a “trophy” in the original incident.

Deputy editor Marc Astley said: “On Saturday afternoon we made the decision on where to run the story and how to treat it.

“There was also an opinion piece commenting on Mr Senior’s dignity and bravery for standing up to these racists.

“Knowing what we know now would not have made any difference to the original story, and I think Mr Senior would back that decision.

“We approached him after the sentencing, but he made it clear he did not want to comment further, and instead let the judge’s comments do the talking. But at no point did he ask us not to run the story.

“While no one would want anything like this to happen to Mr Senior, stories about such atrocities need to be reported.

“If we allow ourselves to be intimidated it is the start of a very slippery slope.”

The victim was known to have refused witness protection, although police have now advised him not to return home.

The National Assembly Against Racism has condemned the revenge attack, and police are “massively outraged” by the shooting and have vowed to hunt down the gunmen.

Yesterday the post took the story forward by revealing that a fifth member of the gang that carried out the first attack in the pub is also wanted for the murder of jewellery shop owner Marian Bates. He has not been seen since the murder in September.

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