CPS West Midlands: Successful Hate Crime Cases: January 2024
In January 2024, the CPS West Midlands Magistrates’ and Crown Court units successfully prosecuted various hate crime cases. Below are some of the cases.
A 41-year-old Northampton man, who directed racist and homophobic abuse at police officers, was sentenced in January 2024. The defendant admitted that on 4 January 2024, he directed racist and homophobic abuse at the police officers after he was arrested for being drunk in a public place and causing a disturbance at Birmingham New Street station. He was charged with being drunk and disorderly, causing racially / religiously aggravated intentional harassment/alarm/distress and obstructing a police officer. The defendant pleaded guilty at the first hearing at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on 8 January 2024 and received 12 weeks' imprisonment for the racially and homophobically aggravated public order offence which had been increased by three weeks to reflect the hate crime. He received a further two weeks imprisonment for obstructing the police officer and was also ordered to pay £100 compensation to one officer and £50 compensation to the other officer.
A 26-year-old man, who racially abused a staff at a Stoke-on-Trent homeless shelter, has been sentenced to an 18-month community order. On 30 August 2023, the defendant racially abused the staff member after he was denied access at the homeless shelter where he lived for being drunk and missing curfew. He was charged with a racially aggravated public order offence which he denied but was convicted following a trial at Newcastle-under-Lyme Magistrates’ Court on 11 January 2024. He was sentenced on the same day and received an 18-month community order which had been increased to reflect the hate crime. He was also ordered to pay £200 compensation to the victim and £500 costs.
A Kidderminster man who sent racist messages through the Universal Credit messaging system has been sentenced. The defendant was charged with a communications offence and pleaded guilty at the first hearing. He was sentenced at Worcester Magistrates’ Court on 9 January 2024 and received an eight-week prison sentence which was suspended for 15 months and had been increased by four weeks to reflect the hate crime. He was also ordered to pay £100 compensation to the victim.
On 12 February 2023, the 61-year-old defendant from London directed anti-Muslim abuse at a member of staff at Green Park station. He was charged with a religiously aggravated public order offence. The defendant pleaded guilty and was sentenced at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 26 January 2024. He was fined £483 and was informed that the fine had been increased from £252 to reflect the hate crime.
On 25 June 2023, the 32-year-old defendant from Stoke-on-Trent was arrested. He repeatedly directed homophobic abuse at one of the officers who was taking him to the police station. He was charged with a public order offence. The defendant pleaded guilty and was sentenced at Newcastle-under-Lyme Magistrates’ Court on 17 January 2024. He received a two-week sentence of imprisonment which had been increased from a community order to reflect the hate crime.
A man has been given a lengthy conditional discharge having pleaded guilty to one offence of racially aggravated intentional harassment, alarm or distress. On 16 July 2022, the defendant was involved in an altercation with an unknown couple at Oval Underground Station. The victim, a customer service assistant, went to his aid and was racially abused for his efforts with the defendant. The defendant initially denied the charges before eventually entering a guilty plea on 8 December 2023. He was sentenced at Inner London Crown Court sitting at the Royal Courts of Justice on 26 January 2024 to a two-year conditional discharge. The judge made it clear that were it not for the racial aggravation, the length of the discharge would have been shorter.
A man has been made the subject of a suspended sentence order following a guilty plea to one offence of racially aggravated intentional harassment, alarm or distress. On 28 January 2022, the defendant was involved in an altercation in the Wetherspoons Public House in Wellington Town Centre. He racially abused the victim inside the pub and continued to do so when the victim attempted to leave the area. A passing police patrol intervened resulting in the defendant’s arrest. The defendant initially denied the matter but entered a guilty plea on 24 January 2024, the day his trial was due to take place. He was sentenced the same day. Recorder Smith, sentencing the defendant at Stoke Crown Court, imposed a six-month term of imprisonment suspended for one year. The recorder indicated that were it not for the racial aggravation, the sentence would have been four months' imprisonment suspended for one year.