Man sentenced for antisemitic abuse and assault
A Rhondda man who assaulted and used antisemitic language towards another man has been sentenced at Merthyr Tydfil Magistrates’ Court.
Phillip Lawless, 48, walked past a man who was taking shopping into his house on 29 September 2025. The man heard Lawless make abusive antisemitic comments towards him.
A short while later, Lawless walked past the man a second time and again used antisemitic abuse towards him. On this occasion, Lawless spat in the man’s face.
Rebecca Foster of the Crown Prosecution Service said: “Hate crime has a devastating impact, not only on individual victims but also on the wider communities it targets.
“Antisemitism and all other forms of hatred have no place in our society, and the CPS will not hesitate to prosecute these offences whenever the legal test is met.
“We work closely with the police and our criminal justice partners to ensure that offenders are brought to justice and that the courts are made aware of any hostility shown as part of an offence.”
Lawless was sentenced to 18 weeks’ imprisonment suspended for a year, which included a sentence uplift due to the offences being hate crimes. A restraining order was also imposed for two years.
Notes to editors
- Hate crime sentencing uplift: When any criminal offence is proved to have involved hostility towards a protected characteristic, the court must treat this as more serious. The offence itself remains the same, but judges are required to increase the sentence to reflect the harm caused by hate
- Phillip Lawless (DOB: 29/5/1978) is from Tylorstown, Rhondda
- He pleaded guilty to a religiously aggravated common assault by beating contrary to section 29(1)(c) and (3) of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and a religiously aggravated intentional harassment, alarm or distress contrary to section 31(1)(b) and (4) of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998
- Rebecca Foster is a Senior District Crown Prosecutor in CPS Cymru-Wales.