A man has been jailed for three months for dumping a pig’s head outside a mosque in Berkshire.

Rory Rowbottom, from Thatcham, left the animal’s head at the mosque on Pound Street in Newbury on 23 October.

Rowbottom pleaded guilty to one count of racially aggravated harassment and a section 4 public order offence at Reading Magistrates’ Court.

Ch Insp Lindsey Finch said his actions had left the community “distressed and horrified”.

Speaking after the hearing she said: “This was a particularly distressing crime, targeting a very respectful and close community in West Berkshire.”

Lucky Nizami, of the Newbury Mosque Committee, said: “The Muslim community is very tolerant of others’ beliefs, but hold several things very close to them; those are the Koran, the Prophet and the mosque.

“It was therefore beyond the understanding of the community why anyone would wish to insult them by directly attacking one of those, in this case the mosque.”

BBC News