Outrage As Anti-semitic Thugs Escape Jail (Totally Jewish)
The Jewish community has accused the courts of not taking anti-semitism seriously after three teenagers escaped prison for attacking and threatening to kill two yeshiva students.
Two men aged 18 and 19 were given suspended sentences and a 17-year-old was handed a curfew and community service at Bolton Crown Court on Monday after pleading guilty to racially aggravated assault.
The teenagers initially pleaded not guilty at Bolton Magistrates Court last October when accused of attacking two 17-year-olds in Bury New Road, Prestwich, on 8 June 2006. But they changed their plea when appearing at the Crown Court this week.
The court heard that the defendants shouted anti-semitic abuse at the students as they walked home, telling them, “you are going to die tonight”. One victim received a broken tooth and needed 23 staples in his head after being hit with a metal bar by one of the attackers while the others kicked him while he was on the floor. The other victim was left with a pain in the leg.
The 19-year-old was given a 12-month youth offender’s sentence, suspended for two years, a 12-month supervision order and 200 hours unpaid community service. The 18-year-old was given eight months in a young offenders institute, suspended for two years and the 17-year-old received a 12-month community rehabilitation order.
Jewish leaders and MPs have condemned the verdict claiming it sends out ‘entirely the ‘wrong message’ about anti-semitism. Mark Gardner, the Community Security Trust’s Director of Communications, said: “We are extremely disappointed at the leniency of the sentences, given the severity of this attack. It sends out entirely the wrong message to both the perpetrators and the Jewish community, and suggests that the Courts are not serious about punishing such racist behaviour.”
Jon Benjamin, Chief Executive of the Board of Deputies, added: “This was a vicious assault carried out by three individuals who appear to have gone equipped to cause considerable injury. These sentences place the offenders very firmly back on the streets. There may be restrictions placed on their movement, and there may be the threat of a custodial sentence hanging over them, but they must be counting themselves very lucky. The victims, by contrast, will justifiably feel that the seriousness of their ordeal has not been recognised by the criminal justice system.
“There are all sorts of ways in which the treatment of racially aggravated crimes can be diluted, as a case passes from the police, to the CPS and onto the courts for trial and sentence. As far as the victims and the wider community are concerned, the outcome of the process in this case is to send entirely the wrong signal about the seriousness of these sorts of offences and the utter condemnation which they deserve.”
The ruling was also criticised by a number of politicians. Riverpool Riverside MP Louise Ellman said: “This sounds very lenient. There should be tough sentences to show the severity of such offences.”
Andrew Dismore, Labour MP for Hendon, added: “The sentence does sound very lenient considering what happened. Hopefully the Attorney General will look at this and review the sentence.”
