Two teenage girls sentenced for antisemitic rampage in Stamford Hill

Two teenagers who targeted Jewish women and girls in an antisemitic rampage in Stamford Hill have been sentenced today.

The two teenagers, who cannot be named because of their age, targeted the victims in four separate incidents over the course of half an hour in December 2023 – including one attack which left a woman unconscious.

The Crown Prosecution Service successfully applied for a tougher sentence to be handed down to reflect the fact that the majority of attacks were motivated by hate. 

In the first incident, the teenagers approached a woman on St. Ann’s Road and demanded money from her. One of the teenagers tried to hit the victim but missed, and she managed to escape.

Just 10 minutes later, the teenagers approached a 12-year-old girl near Holmdale Terrace, with one of them demanding money from her. It was only when it became apparent that the young victim did not have any money, that they let her go and walked off towards Stamford Hill Station.

Within five minutes, the teenagers started harassing a group of four 11-year-old girls, using antisemitic language and asking them for money. The young girls were clearly frightened and ran away from them as they crossed the High Road at a pedestrian crossing.

The teenage defendants followed one of the girls into Norfolk Avenue, with one of them grabbing hold of the victim’s bag and arm. The defendant intimidated the young girl and took her lunch bag from her.

In the final incident, just half an hour from the start of this unprovoked series of crimes, the teenage defendants attacked a woman in Rostrevor Avenue. The girls approached the victim and asked her if she had money in her pocket. When the woman tried to walk away from them, she was struck to the back.

As she crossed the road to get away, the teenage defendants followed her and grabbed the victim’s phone from her hand. They proceeded to attack the victim by slapping her, pulling her wig off, throwing her to the ground and kicking her, causing the victim to briefly lose consciousness and sustain significant bruising.

They were both found guilty of attempt robbery, religiously aggravated harassment and ABH after trial with one of the defendants also found guilty of attempted theft.

They were both sentenced to a Youth Rehabilitation Order for 18 months. They were also ordered to undertake a rehabilitation activity requirement for 30 and 45 hours and placed under curfew with an electronic tag for six months and three months respectively. 

Jagjeet Saund, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “The evidence in this case proved that the two teenagers targeted most of the victims because they were Jewish.

“Key witness testimony proved that the defendants were mocking them, using antisemitic language, making it plainly obvious that these attacks were hate crimes. By highlighting this pattern of offending, we have successfully applied to the court to increase the sentence passed down on the defendants today.

“At the sentence hearing today, we used a Community Impact Statement from a Jewish community leader to further demonstrate the wider impact this display of hatred can have on the local community, causing trauma and fear across society.

“There is no place for such intolerance and hatred, and the Crown Prosecution Service will continue to work closely with the police to ensure those who spread hate, prejudice and hostility are prosecuted.”