CPS West Midlands: Successful Hate Crime Cases April 2022

In April 2022, CPS West Midlands Magistrates' and Crown Court units successfully prosecuted various hate crime cases. Below are just a handful of the cases we prosecuted.

The defendant went to Manchester Oxford Road rail station on 19 February 2022 and was acting strangely and repeatedly spitting. He followed a member of staff, racially abused him, and threatened another member of staff. He also kicked one of the police officers who had been called to the scene. He was charged with assault, a racially aggravated s4A public order violation, and assaulting an emergency worker by beating. On 1 April 2022, the defendant was sentenced at Manchester City Magistrates' Court. He received a 26-week prison sentence that was suspended for 18 months. He was told that his sentence had been increased by eight weeks to reflect the hate crime. He was also ordered to complete 30 days of rehabilitation activity, 200 hours of unpaid work, and pay £100 to each victim.

The defendant went to a supermarket in Stafford on 3 November 2021 and stole a bottle of vodka. When a member of staff reminded him that he was banned, he directed racist abuse and threats towards that member of staff.  He then assaulted an officer who attended the scene by spitting in the officer’s face. The defendant was sentenced on 4 April 2022, at Cannock Magistrates' Court after pleading guilty to theft, a racially aggravated public order offence, and assaulting an emergency worker. He received a six-week prison sentence for the racially aggravated s4 offence, which was increased by two weeks to reflect the hate crime. He was sentenced to an additional eight weeks in prison for assaulting the officer and two weeks for theft. These sentences were suspended for 12 months. He was ordered to pay the officer £50 in compensation as well as a victim surcharge of £128.

On 10 February 2021, the defendant entered a bike shed to which he should not have had access. When a member of security staff approached him, he directed racist abuse at the security officer and verbal abuse at another member of staff who attempted to assist him. The defendant was charged with a racially aggravated s5 public order offence as well as a second public order offence for his actions toward two different victims. He pleaded not guilty but was found guilty in his absence and sentenced on 5 April 2022 at Telford Magistrates' Court to a 12-month community order which included 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days and a mental health treatment requirement. He was also ordered to pay £500 to the victim of the racially aggravated s5 offence.

On 31 May, 2021, the defendant demanded that his ex-partner hand over her phone and when she refused, he punched her windscreen, shattering it. On 4 July 2021, he asked for her phone again, and when she refused, he assaulted her. The defendant’s partner asked a mutual friend to help her and stayed at his address and the defendant sent that friend a series of threatening messages. On 24 July 2021, the defendant pretended to be in a car accident so that his ex-partner would notice him. He asked to see her phone again, and he punched and smashed her car window again. He was arrested, and an officer was dispatched to the police station to question him. The officer was subjected to homophobic abuse by the defendant. The defendant pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal damage, assault by beating, sending a threatening message, and a s4A public order offence. On 5 April 2022, the defendant was sentenced at Coventry Magistrates' Court. He was sentenced to a 12-month community order with 30 days of rehabilitation activity. He was informed that an additional five days of rehabilitation activity had been imposed to reflect the hate crime. Alcohol Abstinence Monitoring Equipment was also put in place for 90 days, he was ordered to pay £30 compensation for the criminal damage and £100 compensation to the police officer who was homophobically abused.  He also required to pay £620 in costs.

The victim was at a bar in Leamington Spa on 9 October 2021 when the defendant stood on the sidewalk and hurled homophobic insults at him. The victim’s friend started to film the defendant on her phone to capture his behaviour. The defendant grabbed the phone and attempted to flee. To prevent this, the victim grabbed the defendant's top, and the defendant punched him in the face and slammed the phone to the ground. The defendant pleaded guilty to a public order offence, criminal damage and assault and was sentenced at Coventry Magistrates’ Court on 20 April 2022. He received a 12-month community order for all offences including 25 days of rehabilitation activity requirement, alcohol abstinence monitoring for 9 days and a 30 day curfew which required him to stay at his home address each night between 8pm and 6am for 30 days. He was told that the curfew was added to reflect the homophobic nature of the offence. He was also ordered to pay £100 in compensation to each victim, as well as £135 in costs and a £10 victim surcharge. When the defendant was arrested by police on 24 July 2021 for another matter, he yelled racist and homophobic abuse at the two officers who arrested him and attempted to kick one of them. He was charged with a racially aggravated s4A public order offence and he pleaded guilty and was sentenced at Birmingham Magistrates' Court on 12 April 2022. He received a six-week prison sentence and was informed that he would have received a community order but had instead received imprisonment because the matter was a hate crime.

The defendant was charged with racially aggravated harassment of a police officer who had cause to arrest him in connection with another matter. The defendant denied using racist language, and the case was set for trial. The prosecution sought admission of evidence that the defendant had previously used racist language. In the face of overwhelming evidence, the defendant pleaded guilty and was sentenced on 25 April 2022 at Warwick Crown Court to an 18-month community order which was uplifted from 12 months to reflect the racial element. 

The defendant was found guilty of assaulting his ex-girlfriend, threatening her new partner with a bottle, and making racist remarks towards him. The defendant was sentenced on 26 April 2022 at Warwick Crown Court to four months in prison for a racially aggravated public order offence, which was uplifted by one month due to the racist element.

The defendant was one of two defendants who caused a commotion on a train platform. When police officers arrived at the scene, they were met with increasing disorder and physical violence from the defendant upon their arrival. One officer was seriously injured, and the defendant was charged with s20 unlawful wounding. Another officer was racially abused and threatened with violence. The defendant was further charged with racially aggravated public order. The defendant was found guilty on both counts and sentenced to prison. The racially aggravated offence was marked with a three-month custodial sentence that had been increased from two months to reflect the racial element.