Man Admits Racially Aggravated Assault
Shafiq Rahman, 48, of Lismore Park, Slough, has admitted to racially aggravated common assault, fear or provocation of violence by words, and criminal damage at Reading Magistrates' Court. The charges stem from an incident that occurred on Monday afternoon in Slough, where police were called after a man in his 20s was threatened.
Details of the Incident
The victim, who identified himself as Moshe, told that he was approached while working at a property on Elliman Avenue in Slough when Rahman cycled past and began shouting abuse. Video footage recorded by Moshe was presented in court, showing Rahman accusing him of "killing babies in Palestine," threatening to "break his jaw," and knocking the phone out of his hand.
Judicial Response
District Judge Devinder Sanhu described the attack as a "pure hate crime" and expressed shock at the footage.
"I am appalled and startled by what I saw on that footage, a completely unprovoked attack on a man who was simply doing his job."
Prosecution and Victim Statement
Prosecutor Anushka A stated,
"I believe the victim was wearing a kippah and believes that for this reason he was targeted in this attack."Although the victim was not present in court, a statement he provided to police was read aloud. In it, he expressed how the incident affected him:
"This incident has changed my perspective on what it is to be a Jew openly in public."
He further noted that while he had previously read about similar attacks in the news, he had never personally experienced anything like this before and felt "physically targeted due to my religion."
Next Steps
Rahman was granted bail and is scheduled to be sentenced on 10 July.
