CPS West Midlands: Successful Hate Crime Cases May 2023
In May 2023, CPS West Midlands Magistrates' and Crown Court units successfully prosecuted various hate crime cases.
A man pleaded guilty to a hate crime after racially abusing a shop worker in Malvern. On 8 April 2023, the defendant racially abused the victim and threatened to assault him. He was charged with a racially aggravated section 4 public order act offence and was also charged with obstructing a police officer as he ran away from the police when they approached him. He was sentenced at Worcester Magistrates’ Court on 11 May 2023 to six weeks imprisonment for the racially aggravated section 4 public order offence which had been increased to reflect the hate crime. He received no separate penalty for the offence of obstructing a police officer. The convictions meant that he had breached a suspended sentence and he therefore also received six weeks imprisonment for previous matters and was ordered to pay £50 compensation to the victim.
A shoplifter, who racially abused a security guard and a bystander in Kings Heath High Street on 23 December 2022, was convicted in his absence of two racially aggravated s4A public order act offences and theft from a shop after he failed to attend the trial. He was later arrested and was sentenced on 16 May 2023 to 12 weeks imprisonment for the racially aggravated s4 public order act offence which had been increased by four weeks to reflect the hate crime and was suspended for 12 months. He was ordered to participate in 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days. He also received an eight-week concurrent sentence for the shop theft and was ordered to pay £75 compensation to each of the victims and to pay £185 costs.
A man who racially abused and physically assaulted a taxi driver admitted his guilt after previously denying the offences. On 13 November 2021, the defendant ordered a taxi to Bloxwich and racially abused and assaulted the taxi driver during the journey which caused the driver to lose control of his vehicle and crash. The defendant initially said that he would pay for the damage however he then racially abused the victim again and urinated on the victim’s taxi. He was charged with a racially aggravated assault and racially aggravated intentional harassment which he denied but changed his plea on the trial date of 16 May 2023 at Walsall Magistrates’ Court. He received a community order for 12 months and was ordered to perform 150 hours of unpaid work which had been increased by 30 hours to reflect the hate crime. He was also ordered to pay £850 compensation to the victim and was also fined £200.
A fare evader, who hurled transphobic abuse at a staff at Angmering rail station in August 2022, pleaded guilty to using threatening words or behaviour on 23 March 2023 and was sentenced at Worthing Magistrates’ Court on 10 May 2023. He was ordered to pay £100 compensation which was doubled to reflect the hate crime. He was also ordered to pay £50 towards the prosecution costs. He was sentenced on the same day for another public order act offence involving a different member of staff on a different date and was ordered to pay them £50 compensation.
A man who directed transphobic abuse at a staff at Uxbridge underground station in April 2022 was sentenced at St Albans Magistrates’ Court on 22 May 2023 after he was convicted of using threatening, abusive, insulting words or behaviour to cause harassment, alarm or distress. He was ordered to pay £50 compensation to the victim which had been increased to reflect the hate crime.
A shoplifter has been jailed after directing homophobic abuse at a store manager in Stoke on Trent. On 5 March 2023, the defendant was caught shoplifting, and he shouted homophobic abuse at the victim. He was charged with using threatening words or behaviour, theft from a shop and with failing to attend a drug assessment. He was sentenced on 7 May 2023 to six weeks imprisonment for the homophobic offence which had been increased by three weeks to reflect the hate crime. He received a further two weeks imprisonment for the shop theft and was also sentenced for other matters leading to a total sentence of 15 weeks imprisonment. He received no separate penalty for failing to attend the drug assessment. He was ordered to pay £35 compensation to the victim.
The defendant pleaded guilty to three offences of domestic violence against his partner on 14 January 2023 and was sentenced to 14 months imprisonment. One of the assaults occurred at Mornington Crescent railway station and was witnessed by a staff member who intervened, and the defendant racially abused and assaulted the staff member.
He pleaded guilty to a racially aggravated common assault and received an additional four month imprisonment on 18 May 2023 at Inner London Crown Court which was uplifted by 1.5 months due to the racial aggravation. He received a total of 18 months imprisonment.
On 26 August 2021, the defendant assaulted the victim by punching him once in an unprovoked attack. The defendant pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm. The case was aggravated due to homophobic comments made by the defendant towards the victim. At Stafford Crown Court on 16 May 2023, the defendant was sentenced to 9 months imprisonment suspended for two years together with a requirement to abide by an electronically monitored curfew between the hours of 8pm and 4am. The length of the curfew would have been three months but was increased to four months due to the homophobic comments made by the defendant.
The defendant pleaded guilty to attempted robbery and a racially aggravated s4 public order offence after he attempted to rob prescription drugs from a pharmacy in Telford, threatened violence and racially abused the staff member who attempted to stop him. On 19 May 2023, he received a total of 22 months imprisonment. He was sentenced to 14 months imprisonment at Telford Nightingale Court for attempted robbery and eight months imprisonment for the racially aggravated offence to run consecutively and which was uplifted from four months due to the racial abuse.