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Racial Conviction

A woman has been fined for shouting racist remarks and punching a woman wearing a burka in south-east London.

Tracy Davies, 46, of Charlton Lane, Charlton, was found guilty on Wednesday of racially aggravated common assault.

Bexley Magistrates’ Court heard she attacked the Somali woman, 55, who was shopping with her daughter in Woolwich town centre.

Davies was ordered to pay a £150 fine, £100 compensation, and £105 to cover costs.

‘Sheer bigotry’

The court heard that shoppers in Woolwich town centre immediately went to the woman’s aid and gave the police statements when they arrived.

Supt Parm Sandhu said of the 29 June incident: “Davies’ racist and repugnant remarks were simply triggered by seeing a woman in a burka.

“This attack was completely unprovoked and the result of sheer bigotry.

BBC News

Tracey Ann Davies admitting the crime on Facebook

Tracey Ann Davies admitting the crime on Facebook

Thank to EDL News for the screengrab.

A DRUNKEN woman angrily hurled racist abuse at staff in a takeaway shop – including chanting references to the far-right English Defence League.

She and a man, who was in a foul-mouthed group of troublemakers, turned on a Brazilian man who tried to intervene and they both assaulted him during an “ugly” confrontation, Grimsby magistrates heard.

Rebecca Swan, 38, of Beacon Avenue, Cleethorpes, and Christopher Drury, 23, of Corporation Road, Grimsby, admitted a racially aggravated assault on Carlos Defreiates, on July 4. Swan also admitted using racially aggravated threatening words or behaviour.

Nick Wyman, prosecuting, said Swan and Drury were among a group outside the Topkapi takeaway in High Street, Cleethorpes, in the early hours. Swan and some men were repeatedly chanting “EDL” and pointing towards people inside the shop.

Swan shouted racist abuse and was pointing her finger towards the takeaway. The chanting and abuse continued for a couple of minutes. Racist language and “EDL” were shouted again.

Swan shouted: “If you live here, you should abide by our laws”. Mr Defreiates, who is Brazilian, got involved and asked Swan and Drury why they were doing it.

The group turned on him and wrongly thought he was Polish. Swan asked him: “Where are you from? You shouldn’t be here.” She rammed her finger in to his chest several times and told him: “You are in England. You should live by my laws.”

Swan slapped him across his neck and Drury hit him in the chest with the palm of his hand, causing him to fall to the ground.

“It was an ugly incident,” said Mr Wyman.

Ghaff Khan, mitigating, said three people were involved in the abuse but one of them was not charged. Swan was very drunk and claimed she had “no idea who the EDL were”. She was not a member of the group and did not consider herself to be racist.

It was “drunken stupidity” and Swan claimed she could not remember much about the incident, said Mr Khan.

Graham Ives, representing Drury, said his client had shown remorse for his role in the “unpleasant” disturbance.

Drury claimed he “did not know what the EDL was but he does now” after looking on the internet. He merely asked Mr Defreiates “You’re Polish, are you?” and the assault was very minor.

“He’s not a political person,” said Mr Ives. “He’s not a racist. He is very sorry he got involved in this incident and blotted his copybook.”

Drury had drunk 10 to 12 cans of lager with a friend.

Mother-of-two Swan, a cleaner at a medical centre, was given a four-week, 9pm to 7am, curfew and was ordered to pay £85 costs and a Government-imposed £60 victims’ surcharge.

Unemployed Drury was given a one-year conditional discharge and was ordered to pay £85 costs and a £15 surcharge.

This is Grimsby

Geoffrey Ryan

Geoffrey Ryan



A man launched a smoke grenade into a mosque and threatened to kill Muslims after he “snapped” following his brother’s death.

Geoffrey Ryan, 44, approached the Al-Falah Braintree Islamic Centre, in Silks Way, Braintree, armed with two knives on the evening of May 22.

He was jailed for nine months on Monday after admitting two charges of having a bladed object in a public place and one charge of affray.

Construction worker Ryan, of Brick Kiln Way, Braintree, threatened centre member Saruk Miah, causing him to fear for his safety.

Chelmsford Crown Court heard Mr Miah had arrived at 7pm, half an hour before evening prayers, to prepare himself a snack.

He had been in the centre for about three or four minutes when he heard an explosion, caused by a yellow smoke grenade thrown into the building.

Ryan then shouted out “I am here to kill you”

The court heard Ryan’s brother had committed suicide a week prior to the incident.

Judge Anthony Goldstaub QC said: “It was an attack both racially and religously motivated and showing hatred on both counts and it is the kind of thing that won’t be tolerated in this country.”

Speaking after the case, Dc Andy Young, of Essex Police, said: “The incident that occurred at the Al-Falah prayer centre caused unnecessary fear, not only for the people who witnessed it, but also local residents at a time when emotions were already running high due to the death of Drummer Lee Rigby in London.

“Ryan’s imprisonment should serve as a warning to others who intend to cause fear and unrest in the community for their own agendas, whether personal or not.

“I would like to thank the members of the Al-Falah prayer centre for their support during the investigation and for their continued efforts in which they have hosted local events intended to increase understanding and tolerance within a multi-cultural community.”

Braintree and Witham Times

Links to EDL   Islamophobia-Watch

David camp - banned from Cambridge Islamic centres

David camp – banned from Cambridge Islamic centres

A man has been issued an Asbo banning him from going near a number of Islamic premises in Cambridge after he threatened to burn down a mosque.

David Camp, 35, of Thorpe Way, off Ditton Lane, Cambridge, was made subject of an anti-social behaviour order at Cambridge Magistrates’ Court yesterday after he was convicted of several racially aggravated offences..

Camp had previously admitted to posting a large number of offensive anti-Islamic messages on Twitter between April 1 and June 5. He had also admitted to three further public order offences following a drunken outburst in Mill Road on June 30 during which he shouted abuse at members of the public. During that incident Camp threatened to burn down a mosque, he continued to shout abuse at the officers who then arrived and arrested him.

He was sentenced to a 12-month supervision order with alcohol treatment requirement on July 12.

Following an application by police, a two year criminal Asbo was granted, banning Camp from entering parts of Mawson Road, Tenison Road, Devonshire Road, Mill Road or Whitechapel Road, in London. He is also banned from entering St Paul’s Road or Darwin Drive in their entirety, or from going within 50 metres of Omar Farouk Mosque in Kirkwood Road.

Sgt Matt Gadsby said: “We enjoy a rich and diverse mix of cultures and religions in Cambridge and David Camp has caused considerable distress through his behaviour so we are pleased to have secured the order in full.

“This Asbo is fundamentally about promoting public safety and protecting the rights of the community, and will hopefully provide reassurance that we will not tolerate either racism or anti-social behaviour in any form.

“Camp has now been given clearly defined boundaries by the court, and is aware of the penalty should he choose to ignore them. In publicising this matter we are now seeking the support of the community in promoting the effective reporting and enforcement of the order.”

Cambridge News

Georgina Gontar, 20, of Old Woking, pleaded guilty to a breach of an Asbo, four offences of racially aggravated criminal damage and two of causing criminal damage when she appeared at Guildford Magistrates’ Court last Wednesday (April 17).

The graffiti, including the the name “Bin Laden” and the letters “EDL”, was daubed inside a shop at Lion Retail Park, on a wall in view of the Shah Jahan Mosque in Oriental Road and outside properties in Walton Road on November 12 last year.

For the Asbo breach and racially aggravated criminal damage, Gontar received a custodial sentence of 10 weeks, suspended for 12 months.

For the criminal damage she received a custodial sentence of seven weeks, suspended for 12 months, to run concurrently with the first term.

During the 12-month period, Gontar has a supervisory order in place and she is required to participate in a diversity awareness and prejudice programme.

The magistrates also ordered Gontar to pay compensation of £650 to the James Walker Group, £40 to Hobbycraft and £20 to Unit 18 Boundary Way at the hearing.

She was jointly charged with 19-year-old Laura Woodward of Addlestone.

Get Surrey

Woking People

John Sharpe, aged 45, from Walsall and Kyle Kirkbridge, aged 24, from Rugeley

John Sharpe, aged 45, from Walsall and Kyle Kirkbridge, aged 24, from Rugeley

Kyle Kirkbride, 24, of Rugeley, admitted threatening behaviour, while John Sharpe, of Leamore, Bloxwich, admitted racially aggravated harassment at the EDL protest in Walsall on 29th September last year.

Walsall Magistrates Court heard Sharpe made racist remarks to a police officer. District Judge Michael Morris ordered him to pay a £100 fine, £150 compensation, £85 costs and £15 victim surcharge.

The prosecution said Kirkbride, had made rude hand gestures to Asian men.

Mr Jason Georgiou, mitigating, said he was not racist and was responding to the men. He was given a £280 fine, told to pay £85 costs and £15 victim surcharge.

Express & Star

Laura Woodward, A teenager spray-painted racist graffiti near a mosque and daubed the names Saddam Hussein and Bin Laden on flats during a booze-fuelled spree.

Laura Woodward, 19 of Byron Road, Addlestone, admitted four counts of racially and religious aggravated criminal damage and two of criminal damage.

Woodward, appearing before Guildford magistrates last Thursday, also admitted racially aggravated damage to the front door of an Asian man whom she knew.

Nick Wilson, prosecuting, told the court that Woodward and another girl bought spray paint from Hobbycraft in Woking on November 12 last year when they “commenced these acts of criminal damage”.

The court was told that Woodward sprayed her name and either the number four or a cross in the ladies’ cloakroom at Hobbycraft.

The pair then headed towards the Shah Jahan Mosque, where they painted racist words on a nearby wall in Oriental Road, mis-spelling England as they did so.

It cost almost £1,000 to remove the offensive material.

The public wall of the car park belonging to the same company was also sullied with racist graffiti, which the court heard will cost £344 to put right.

A silver Seat Alhambra car was vandalised with pink spray paint, costing the owner £15 to wash off.

The names Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein were daubed on the public wall of Walton Court flats and the letters EDL – an acronym for the English Defence League – were scrawled across the public wall and windows of business units 14 and 18 Boundary Way.

Nick Wilson, prosecuting, said the additional charge was in relation to graffiti on the Asian man’s house door.

“He treated her as his first girlfriend,” Mr Wilson said.

“He went to work and came home to find his house had been treated in this way. They were friends and this is what she did.”

The court heard that it would cost £1,500 for a new door.

Chris McGlinchey, defending, said: “She was, as you may have gathered, substantially drunk.

“The bulk of her offences were when she was using drink.”

Mr McGlinchey added: “She fully accepts that these offences will have caused a great deal of offence and she has developed a degree of empathy as a result.

“She is now in work and it is fair to say she has taken steps on her own part to reduce her drinking. She has asked me to make an apology on her behalf, which you may take with a pinch of salt but the apology is heartfelt.

“She has engaged with people of that community since. She does not see herself as being a racist.”

District Judge Workman said he had considered sending Woodward to a young offenders’ institution but instead decided on a community order.

He warned her: “I must make it clear – if you break the order, that is where you are going to end up.”

Woodward was sentenced to a 12-month community order plus 100 hours of unpaid work.

She must also pay damages of £100 to the mosque and £400 for the damaged door.

District Judge Workman said: “The unpaid work is to at least give something back to the community.

“All graffiti is offensive but when it is racially aggravated, it is particularly offensive.”

Get Surrey

Liam Ferrar outside Leicester Magistrates Court, where he was sentenced for leaving a pig's head on the steps of a Muslim community centre

Liam Ferrar outside Leicester Magistrates Court, where he was sentenced for leaving a pig’s head on the steps of a Muslim community centre


Liam Ferrar, 24, admitted leaving the frozen head outside a Muslim community centre in Leicester on Boxing Day last year

An office worker who left a pig’s head on the steps of a Muslim place of worship has been spared a jail sentence.

Liam Ferrar, 24, admitted leaving the frozen head outside a Muslim community centre in Leicester on Boxing Day last year, in a religiously motivated attack.

Ferrar, of Brook Road, Leicester, pleaded guilty last month to causing religiously aggravated harassment by leaving the frozen pig’s head on the steps of the city’s Thurnby Lodge Community Centre.

He was sentenced to 12 weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for a year, after the court heard he had written a letter of apology to his victims and was disgusted by his actions.

Sentencing Ferrar at Leicester Magistrates’ Court, District Judge John Temperley described the offence as being “to some extent planned, premeditated and targeted”.

The district judge told Ferrar: “You were well aware of the significance of your actions.

“You knew that what you did would cause great distress, indeed that was your intention.”

The court heard that Ferrar was under the influence of alcohol when he placed the pig’s head – which had been stored in a freezer for several months – in an area where it could not be avoided by adults and children arriving for prayers.

Stressing that the offence had taken place against a background of protests at the community centre’s use as a place-of-worship, District Judge Temperley added: “It is easy to imagine the shock, distress and disgust (those who discovered the pig’s head) would have felt.

“The witnesses statements I have read bear testimony to the serious impact of your actions, but the harm you caused goes further.

“Others in the local community and beyond would also have been affected when news of this incident spread, prompting profound alarm, fear and insecurity.

“It should have been obvious that what you did was intimidatory and would only serve to enflame an already tense and volatile situation.”

Suspending the 12-week prison term because of Ferrar’s personal mitigation, including his previous good character, the district judge accepted that the defendant regularly gave his time and energy to local good causes.

District Judge Temperley told Ferrar, who was also ordered to complete 250 hours of unpaid community work and pay £85 in costs: “The character references I have read do you great credit.

“I also accept that you have demonstrated genuine remorse and regret for your actions. You co-operated with the police and pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.”

Louise Cox, prosecuting, told the court a group calling itself Forgotten Estates had stepped up protests at the community centre last summer.

Defence solicitor Stephen Morris said the protest group, of which Ferrar was a member, aimed to highlight the lack of facilities in the Thurnby Lodge area.

Claiming that his client had chosen to distance himself from Forgotten Estates in September last year, Mr Morris said: “The behaviour by Mr Ferrar on this occasion is out of character – he is not somebody who displays racist tendencies.”

The Independent

A MAN launched a drunken attack on a mosque after watching a news report about the desecration of Commonwealth graves in Libya.

Barry Stanbury, 42, was caught on CCTV cameras at shortly before 2.30am on March 5, wandering around the Exeter Mosque before a window was smashed, Exeter magistrates heard.

The court was told Stanbury was wearing “a distinctive hoodie” with a logo of a large cross on it, and a police officer recognised the defendant.

Clifford Howard, prosecuting, said: “The criminal damage occurred at the Exeter Mosque at 2.23am. We have the precise time because it was caught on CCTV.”

When interviewed Stanbury said he was “so drunk he did not remember doing it”.

Mr Howard said he told police his motive for carrying out the religiously aggravated criminal damage was seeing on the news that Commonwealth graves had been desecrated in Libya.

Stanbury, of Laxton Avenue, Exeter, denied racially or religiously aggravated criminal damage at the mosque but was convicted after a trial.

Magistrates sentenced him to 80 hours unpaid work, £100 compensation and pay £150 costs.

Read more at http://www.devonlive.com/man-launched-drunken-attack-exeter-mosque/story-17210666-detail/story.html#axzz2UdZMRgja#uZtE5ZJTB75XHro6.99

March 5th 2012

This Is Exeter

Lee Cousins, 40, of Soundwell, Bristol pleaded guilty to causing racially/religiously aggravated harassment or alarm following the unrest in Bristol on Saturday evening (25th May).

Cousins was amongst a group of men who had come out of the St George’s Hall public house in Church Road after initially barricading themselves in when police arrived.

Cousins then mocked a Muslim prayer ritual by getting down on his hands and knees in the road before shouting racial slurs involving Muslims and Allah. He was fined £500 and ordered to pay £85 costs plus a £15 victim surcharge.

Bristol Post

Also in connection with the disturbances in Bristol on 25th May 2013

Jason Bennett, 39, of Redfield pleaded guilty to using threatening words or behaviour and was fined £50.

Luke Selman, 23, of Horfield pleaded guilty to using threatening words or behaviour towards PC Peter Crawford and PC Karen Stenner with intent to cause fear or provoke unlawful violence and to assaulting PC Stenner in the execution of her duty, Selman was ordered to do 200 hours of unpaid work and pay £245 in costs and compensation.

Selman, who has two previous convictions, was also told to complete a 12-month community order.

Bristol Post1

Bristol Post2