CPS West Midlands: Successful Hate Crime Cases – January 2025
In January 2025, the CPS West Midlands Magistrates’ and Crown Court units successfully prosecuted various hate crime cases. Some of these are below.
On 15 August 2024, the 55-year-old defendant, from Norwich, racially abused a taxi driver outside Norwich railway station over the price of the fare. The police attended and the defendant continued to be racially abusive. On 7 January 2025, at Norwich Magistrates’ Court, he pleaded guilty to a racially aggravated public order act offence and was sentenced to a compensation order of £160 which was increased from £120 to reflect the racial element.
On 15 March 2024, the 18-year-old defendant, from Birmingham, was arrested for unrelated matter. Upon arrival at the custody facility, he was repeatedly racially abusive towards two custody detention officers. He was charged with two racially aggravated public order act offences and was sentenced at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on 6 January 2025. He received a 12-month community order with rehabilitation days which were increased from 20 to 30 days. He was also ordered to pay £50 compensation to both complainants.
On 11 November 2024, the 45-year-old defendant, from Coventry, racially abused the complainant and his family at Coventry city centre. He also struck the complainant to the face. He initially entered a not guilty plea to the racially aggravated assault by beating offence and the matter was fixed for trial. He was remanded into custody and on 6 January 2025, he pleaded guilty to the offence. He received a 10-week custodial sentence which was uplifted from eight weeks to reflect the hate crime element. He was also ordered to pay compensation of £100.
On 30 November 2024, the 30-year-old defendant, from Wolverhampton, was arrested outside a licenced premises and taken to the custody facility. While he was being booked in, he was repeatedly racially abusive towards the custody sergeant. He was charged with several offences including a racially aggravated public order act offence. He entered not guilty to all offences and was remanded into custody. On 24 January 2025 at Walsall Magistrates’ Court, he pleaded guilty to the public order act offence and received a three-week custodial sentence which was uplifted from two weeks to reflect the hate crime element. He was also ordered to pay £150 compensation to the complainant.
A 26-year-old male from Tamworth was arrested and charged for stirring up racial hatred online during the public disorder in Tamworth in August 2024. Evidence captured from one of the recordings proved that the defendant was shouting racial slur and his partner was live streaming the event. He pleaded guilty to violent disorder and was sentenced to an 11-month custodial sentence which was uplifted by four months due the offence being racially aggravated.
A 37-year-old Birmingham man was reported to have been involved in an altercation involving weapons. Upon arrest, he was racially abusive to the police officers and directed abusive language towards the Jewish community. He was charged with several offences including racially aggravated public order offences for the abuse directed towards the police and the Jewish community and he received a custodial sentence for all the offences. For the racially aggravated harassment, he received 26 weeks, which included an uplifted of eight weeks due to the racially aggravated element.