Washington: Three teenagers from North Carolina State have been found guilty of "ethnic intimidation" for attacking two university students after one of the teens called one of them, a Sikh, "Osama".

One of the victims, Gagandeep Bindra, a Sikh who wore his hair wrapped in a 'patka' at the time of the assault, testified during his trial in Orange County District Court yesterday (Jul 27, 2004) that Kenneth Perry, one of the teenagers found guilty of attacking him, passed by him in March and called him "Osama".

Bindra said he responded to him by saying "your mama" and then the teenagers turned and followed him. The teens then hit Bindra and his friend Sean Michnowicz, who tried to intervene after Perry threw the first punch.

Orange County District Court Judge Alonzo Coleman sentenced Perry, 19, to four months in prison after finding the trio guilty of ethnic intimidation and assault inflicting serious injury in a bench trial, a media report said.

Coleman sentenced the other two, Frederick Perry, 17 and Antonio Burnette, 18, to three and a half months in prison, but suspended the sentences for the younger Perry and Burnette and placed them on two years' probation, the 'Durhan Herald Sun' reported.

Conditions for the suspended sentences include that the two complete 48 hours of community service, graduate from high school, stay off the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill campus unless they have court permission and submit a report to Coleman on a book about people getting along with people of different races or ethnicities.

All three defendants said they would appeal.