Despite this, no interpreter was provided, with the judge, Mr Justice Ognall, farcically declaring that he himself would act as interpreter, even though he didn't speak a word of Bengali. Ram never said that he lost control, and never said that he deliberately killed Clarke Pearce. The counsel also advised that he should not give evidence in his own defence, so the jury never heard his account. Satpal Ram, having no knowledge of the law and believing that his counsel was acting in his best interests, made his biggest mistake: he agreed to follow this advice.In court the Bengali-speaking waiters who gave evidence in defence of Ram had "menu English" only. Ram was advised to put forward a plea of provocation, which reduces murder to manslaughter. The essence of this defence is that a person loses self- control due to the behaviour of another and kills deliberately under such conditions. Although his solicitors had briefed counsel that his case was clearly one of self-defence, which is no crime, this advice was ignored.
His counsel gave him one 40-minute conference an hour before the trial commenced. This account of the incident was collated from original trial transcripts and Ram's own view, which was not heard in the court.Satpal Ram received a deeply biased trial in front of an all-white jury. So there's the score for racism: two lives wrecked as a result of a few minutes of hateful stupidity. Ram was terrified and shocked when he realised that Pearce had died.
A few days later he contacted a solicitor and went to the police station to discuss the incident. Still mouthing racial abuse, he was taken to hospital where he initially refused help. But his wounds were to prove worse than anyone realised: his lung was punctured and he subsequently died from that injury. Ram resorted to fighting only because he was cornered. Pearce received two knife wounds. Terrified, Ram produced a penknife he had on him from his work as a packer, telling Pearce not to come closer. Pearce ignored this, cutting Ram's face and arm with the glass.
A group of white men began racially abusing the Asians present, both waiting staff and diners. It started with comments about "Paki music", escalating to a point where one man, Clarke Pearce, broke a glass and brandished it at Satpal Ram. It may seem empowering for Asian youth to consider Satpal Ram an avenging angel, an Asian Charles Bronson The truth is more mundane. Back in 1986, Ram was in a Birmingham restaurant with friends after work. We know that everybody does not receive equal treatment under the law.