[ed. Free expression aside note how the vandalism was treated a great deal more leniently than any offence committed in the previous article "UK Thought Police Send Man to Prison"...]
Metropolitan Police
13 February 2012
Mashudur Rahman, DOB 3/2/1989 of Luke House, E1, was today given an eight week custodial sentence for nine counts of criminal damage in a sentencing at Thames Magistrates Court. He had earlier pleaded guilty to the charges in a hearing at Stratford Magistrates Court on 3 February, and was fined £2,000 in costs.
The court heard that Rahman had written homophobic and racist graffiti in Gordon House, Glamis Road, Shadwell E1, numerous times during a six month period between March and his arrest on 28 September last year.
The court also heard a number of witness statements which described the alarm and distress caused by the graffiti, which contained numerous homophobic references
Lutfur Rahman, Mayor of Tower Hamlets, said: “The council will continue to work with our partners to bring perpetrators of all hate crimes to justice.”
Cllr Ohid Ahmed, Deputy Mayor of Tower Hamlets, said: “The actions of this man were despicable and condemnable. The messages of hate that he wrote caused considerable hurt and distress to the residents of Gordon House, and it is right that he has now been punished.”
Paul Bloss Chief Executive of EastendHomes, said: “The successful prosecution in this case is an excellent example of how EastendHomes works in partnership with other agencies such as the police and the council to rid the estate of this unacceptable type of behaviour”
DC Simon Fields, the police investigating officer, said: "Many people were involved in the investigation of this offence, including the local Safer Neighbourhood Team. It is a measure of how seriously we take Hate Crime that the perpetrator was identified and convicted and the sentence sends a clear warning that this type of behaviour will not be tolerated".
Jack Gilbert, Co-chair of Rainbow Hamlets, the LGBT Forum for Tower Hamlets,said: “We welcome this conviction. In particular we are pleased that the Court recognised that these were offences motivated by hatred of LGBT people and reflected that in its sentence. This sends a clear message: Homophobic crime in Tower Hamlets will not be tolerated.
“Offences like these cause considerable worry and distress to LGBT people and could well encourage others if not addressed swiftly. We are obviously concerned that the incidents took place so frequently and over so long a period. We will be inviting East End Homes, the police and the council to participate in a review of the case to ensure better practices are put in place for the future.”
The case was brought to court after officers from EastendHomes, which manages Gordon House, received reports of the offensive graffiti from residents. In response EEH carried out an initial investigation to gather witness statements and photos of the graffiti.
The case was then passed to Tower Hamlets Council’s Community Safety Service, who gathered video footage and stills of the perpetrator carrying out his crimes.
The complete package of evidence was then passed to Shadwell police Safer Neighbourhoods Team, who identified Rahman and progressed prosecution with the Crown Prosecution Service.
