Two people have been jailed after they invaded a black child’s eighth birthday party with Confederate flags, racial slurs and armed threats.

Jose Ismael Torres, 26, was sentenced to 13 years in prison while Kayla Rae Norton, 25, was sentenced to six years. They have three children together.

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A judge heard that they were among a group of around 15 people who targeted the party in Douglasville, Georgia, in 2015.


They drove past the boy’s birthday in trucks carrying flags while shouting racial slurs and threats to kill people at the party, including the children.

Torres pointed a gun at them. Incredibly one of Norton’s victims said that she had forgiven her saying that ‘life is too short for hate’.

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Both Torres and Norton cried as they were sentenced by Superior Court Judge William McClain. He said: ‘Their actions were motivated by racial hatred.’



They shouted that they would ‘kill y’all n*****s’ while waving the flags.

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Norton said through tears: ‘I do accept responsibility for what I’ve done. What happened to you is absolutely awful.

‘From mother to mother, I cannot imagine having to explain what that word means.’

She added: ‘The worst decision I’ve ever made in my life was to not walk away when I had the chance.’

Torres and Norton, who have three children together, have both been given lengthy jail terms (Picture: Police handout)

Hyesha Bryant who was at the party and offered forgiveness said: ‘I never thought this would be something I’d have to endure in 2017.

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‘As adults and parents, we have to instil in our children the values of right and wrong. That moment you had to choose to leave, you stayed.’

Four people were charged with felonies in total – the other two were given shorter jail terms after pleading guilty.

‘This is behaviour that even supporters of the Confederate battle flag can agree is criminal and shouldn’t be allowed,’ Douglas County District Attorney Brian Fortner said in a statement.

They both broke down in tears as they were sentenced (Picture: AP)

The court heard that they shouted racial slurs at the party (Picture: AP)

Norton was sentenced on one count of violating Georgia’s street gang act and one count of making terroristic threats.

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Torres was sentenced on three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, one count of terroristic threats and one count of violating the street gang act.

The disruption of the birthday party took place less than a month after white supremacist Dylann Roof killed nine African-Americans at a historic black church in Charleston.

Roof, who was sentenced to death for his crime, brandished the battle flag in several photographs that came to light after his arrest. He said it had been his intent to kill black people and start a race war.