CPS West Midlands: Successful Hate Crime Cases: February 2024

In February 2024, the CPS West Midlands Magistrates’ and Crown Court units successfully prosecuted various hate crime cases. Below are some of the cases.

An Edinburgh man has been sentenced to three weeks imprisonment for racially aggravated offences. The 57-year-old racially abused staff who stopped him from traveling without a ticket after he got on a train at Brighton Railway station. When he was asked to leave the train, he refused and became threatening and abusive towards staff. He also racially abused a British Transport Police officer when he was arrested.  He was charged with racially aggravated intentional harassment, alarm, or distress and two basic offences of intentional harassment, alarm or distress to reflect his behaviour while on the railway.  He pleaded guilty to all offences at Lewes Crown Court on 27 February 2024 and was sentenced to three weeks imprisonment. The judge stated that if not for the racial aggravation, the initial sentence would have been two weeks imprisonment. 

A 22-year-old defendant was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment following a racially aggravated incident that occurred at a hospital in November 2022. On 1 November 2022, the defendant directed racial slurs at two security guards while he was in hospital. He was charged with two counts of racially aggravated intentional harassment, alarm or distress. He pleaded guilty to all offences on 14 November 2023 and was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court on 23 February 2024  to three months imprisonment. The judge stated that if not for the racial aggravation, the initial sentence would have been two months imprisonment.

A 31-year-old Stafford man was sentenced after he directed homophobic abuse at a police officer who was wearing a Pride badge. On 14 December 2023, the defendant who had been arrested for another matter saw that one of the police officers was wearing a Pride badge.  He asked the officer why he was wearing it and the officer told him that it was to show pride in LGBTQ+ people.  The defendant behaved aggressively towards the police officers and when the victim told him to stop, the defendant homophobically abused him.  He was charged with a public order offence and pleaded guilty at the first hearing.  He was sentenced at Cannock Magistrates’ Court on 1 February 2024 and received an 8-week sentence of imprisonment which had been increased by two weeks to reflect the homophobic hate crime.

A teenager from Lincoln was sentenced after she directed homophobic abuse at a railway staff. On 2 August 2023, the defendant was travelling by train with her friends and the train manager asked them to turn down the music which they refused to do.  He explained to them that if they did not co-operate, he would call the police.  It was at this point that the defendant repeatedly homophobically abused him. She pleaded guilty to a public order offence and received a 12-month community order at Lincoln Magistrates’ Court on 22 February 2024 had been increased by 3 months due to the homophobic hate crime.  She was also ordered to pay £100 compensation to the train manager.

A 44-year-old Bedworth man, who racially abused his neighbour’s partner, has been sentenced. The man was sentenced at Leamington Spa Magistrates’ Court on 2 February 2024 after he pleaded guilty to a racially aggravated public order offence. He was fined £750 which had been increased by £250 to reflect the hate crime.  He was also ordered to pay £185 compensation to the victim.

A 34-year-old defendant who racially abused a store staff last February and threatened to burn down the shop has been sentenced. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced on 14 February 2024 at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court to six weeks imprisonment which had been increased by two weeks to reflect the hate crime.  He also received a further six-week sentence of imprisonment for threatening to damage property.

A 56-year-old defendant from Rugby has been sentenced for racially abusing two people including a police officer. On 3 July 2022, the defendant physically assaulted and racially abused another male.  He also damaged the complainant’s car windows.  When he was arrested, he assaulted a police officer and damaged a police van.  He was charged with a racially aggravated public order offence, two counts of criminal damage and assaulting an emergency worker. The defendant pleaded guilty on 27 February 2024 at Coventry Magistrates’ Court and received a community order which had been increased to reflect the hate crime.  He was also ordered to pay £250 compensation to the original victim and £250 to the police for the criminal damage and £50 to the officer.

A 25-year-old defendant from West Bromwich, who directed hate speech towards a man because of his religion, has been sentenced. On 20 January 2024, the defendant was in the men’s toilet at a public house, and when the complainant entered the same toilet, she accused him of being in the women’s toilets and was abusive about his religion.  She continued to use hate speech when the police officers arrived to arrest her. She pleaded guilty and was sentenced at Dudley Magistrates’ Court on 20 February 2024 and received a sentence of six weeks imprisonment which had been increased by two weeks to reflect the hate crime.