CPS West Midlands: Successful Hate Crime Cases – May 2025
In May 2025, the CPS West Midlands Magistrates’ and Crown court units successfully prosecuted various hate crime cases. Below are some of the cases.
On 24 September 2024, the 35-year-old defendant from Birmingham directed racial and homophobic abuse towards two police officers. He was subsequently charged with two public order act offences and pleaded guilty to both offences at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on 27 May 2025. He received an eight-week custodial sentence for the racially aggravated offence, and an additional four-week custody for the homophobically aggravated offence which was suspended for 12 months. The sentence was uplifted from a community order to reflect the hate crime element.
On 26 May 2025, the 62-year-old defendant from Birmingham was repeatedly racially abusive towards his neighbour. He was charged with several offences including a racially aggravated public order act offence. He appeared before Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on 27 May 2025 where he pleaded guilty to all offences. He received a three-month custodial sentence for the racially aggravated offence, which was suspended for 12 months and was uplifted from a community order to reflect the hate crime element.
While in a local park on 29 May 2025, the 49-year-old defendant from Birmingham directed homophobic abuse towards a police officer and assaulted a second officer. He was charged with several offences including a homophobically aggravated public order act offence whichhe pleaded guilty to. He received an immediate four-week custodial sentence in relation to the homophobically aggravated offence which was uplifted from two weeks to reflect the hate crime element. He was also ordered to pay £50 compensation to the complainant.
On 25 May 2024, two youth defendants aged 16 and 17 from Leeds directed homophobic abuse towards two passengers on a train travelling towards Leeds. They were charged with two offences of homophobically aggravated public order act offences for which they pleaded not guilty but were convicted after trial. Both were sentenced to a referral order for a period of 12 months which was uplifted from 10 months to reflect the hate crime element.
On 30 March 2025, the 24-year-old defendant from assaulted two security officers at Princess Royal hospital and was racially abusive towards one of them. On 29 April 2025, she appeared before Shrewsbury Crown Court where she pleaded guilty to assaulting an emergency worker and racially aggravated assault of an emergency worker. She was sentenced, at the same court, on e 22 May 2025 to an 18-month community order.
On 10 April 2021, the 21-year-old defendant from Staffordshire shouted racial abuse towards door staff at a public house. He became a aggressive and assaulted a number of door staff who were trying to remove him from the premises causing a number of serious injuries to them. He was also found to be in possession of a meat cleaver. On 13 December 2024, he appeared before Stafford Crown Court where he pleaded guilty to racially aggravated unlawful wounding, two charges of racially aggravated assault occasioning actual bodily harm and possession of a bladed article. He was sentenced on 12 May 2025, at the same court, to 27 months’ imprisonment, which was uplifted for the racial element.