A man has been jailed for six monthsafter smearing bacon on the door of a mosque.

Marcus Edwards, 44, was in Gillingham on Sunday August 11, when he recorded the moment he smeared rashers of bacon on a mosque and claimed to people online that he would get away with it as the justice system would do nothing.

At his first appearance at the Magistrates’ court, Edwards was told his offence was in the “same bracket as the current civil unrest” and it was “hard to see how his action could be more distressing to the Muslim community”. 

A man whose vile abuse of a bus driver was widely shared on social media has been jailed.

Michael Mongan, 39, unleashed a tirade of religiously-aggravated abuse and spat at the driver after being denied entry when his payment card was declined.

The incident, which took place on August 7 in Hayes, saw Mongan spit at the bus driver's cab several times while shouting Islamophobic comments and other threats.

Rosemary Ainslie, Acting Head of the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said: “The Crown Prosecution Service has authorised Northamptonshire Police to charge Lucy Connolly, 41, with publishing material intending to stir up racial hatred, contrary to Section 19 of the Public Order Act 1986.

“The charge relates to alleged written material on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on 29 July 2024.  

“The CPS reminds all concerned that criminal proceedings against this defendant are active and that she has the right to a fair trial.