Judge: Barrington assault was not a hate crime PROVIDENCE — It was an invective-laced attack that sparked condemnation and protests at a time of racial reckoning, but a judge on Tuesday nonetheless cleared a Barrington doctor of allegations he assaulted his neighbor out of hatred for the man’s Iranian heritage and Muslim faith. Judge Stephen Isherwood declined to sentence Dr. Richard Gordon, 71, under the Rhode Island Hate Crimes Sentencing Act, a decision that spared Gordon from receiving at least 30 days and up to a year in prison. The state, Isherwood said, had not proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Gordon’s crimes were racially motivated.