Top civil servant accused of race hate faces 18 month wait for trial

A decorated civil servant must wait 18 months to stand trial for a race hate charge. Melanie Hipwood, 50, faces one charge of harassing Rupesh Tailor with insulting or abusive words between May 2020 and June 2021 because of his racial background. Hipwood, who worked as a Security Operations manager for the Department of International Development, appeared at Southwark Crown Court wearing a blue jumper and red polo-t-shirt, speaking only to deny the charge. She won a British Empire Medal…