Elbow Beach Hotel manager Bill Shoaf, who was the subject of a Human Rights Commission investigation into allegations of racism, has received telephone death threats.

And vandals also scrawled graffiti on the walls of his son's primary school in a vicious hate campaign, according to Mr. Shoaf's lawyer.

Last night attorney and UBP Senator Mark Pettingill called for an inquiry into the Commission after it ruled that there was "overwhelming and credible evidence'' that his client did make a racist comment.

Mr. Shoaf is accused of saying "next they'll be frying chicken on the front steps'' when told that delegates from the World Conference of Mayors, which was being held at the hotel, were selling clothing in the hotel lobby.

On Friday the Commission ruled that, although technically there was no breach of the Human Rights Act because the comment was not said in a public place, the spirit of the law had been broken.

The Commission added that Mr. Perry Robinson -- who was present at the meeting when the alleged remark was made but denied hearing the comment -- had a "faulty if not selective memory'' while the three hotel managers who made the allegation were "creditable witnesses'' .

Mr. Pettingill said that Mr. Robinson had also been subjected to "racist hate mail and comments''.

Describing the findings as "a smear campaign'', Mr. Pettingill added that the Commission had acted incorrectly because: It failed to interview Mr. Shoaf, even though he was at the centre of the investigation; it lied to Mr. Pettingill by informing him that there were no complainants, but then three emerged in the judgment; it knew five months ago that there had been no breach of the law but nevertheless continued with the investigation in an "attempt to get Bill Shoaf''; and, it did not question the credibility of the complainants, even though none of the three expressed their disapproval to Mr. Shoaf at the time the alleged comment was made.

"Hopefully, for the sake of the hotel and Bermuda and tourism Mr. Shoaf does still have a future at the hotel,'' Mr. Pettingill said.

"I take the view that the conduct of the Human Rights Commission has been wrong and the whole thing amounted to nothing more than a smear campaign against my client.

"The Human Rights Commission knew in December that even if Mr. Shoaf had made those comments -- which we still strenuously deny -- it would not have amounted to a complaint or an offence.

"They have just handed down an 11 page judgment that is nothing more than `let's get Bill Shoaf'.

"Bill Shoaf was never interviewed and never given a hearing. There was some exchange of correspondence. They never informed us who the complainants were and then said that the Commission was the complainant.

"You don't have anyone who's independent -- the only person who's independent is Perry Robinson and they rejected what he had to say because they didn't like it.

"Is our society becoming so sensitised that, even if that comment were made -- and that's flatly denied -- it is going to cause us to have a witch hunt? "There's got to be more to this and the conduct of the Human Rights Commission should be subject to a commission of inquiry. The whole matter should be the subject of a judicial review.'' Mr. Pettingill also questioned the role of the hotel's former head of human resources Robert Calderon, who was interviewed by the Commission even though he was not at the meeting. Mr. Calderon quit his job last month after the resort's owners threatened to close the business down unless Mr. Shoaf's work permit was renewed.

Responding to the claim by one of the complainants that she suffered sleepless nights following the incident, Mr. Pettingill said: "If you want to talk about sleepless nights let's talk about the fact that Bill Shoaf has been the subject of telephone death threats, to racist graffiti at his hotel and to racist graffiti at his son's primary school.

"Perry Robinson has also been threatened with racial hate mail and comments.

These matters have been reported to the authorities and are currently under active investigation.'' Bill Shoaf Graphic file name: BUSHOAF