Stamford Hill attacker faces race hate charge after CPS U-turn thanks to JC
A 64-year-old victim was left with facial injuries and a broken ankle
The review should not have required a campaign from the JC
A MAN who carried out a string of attacks on Orthodox Jews in North London will finally face race hate charges after the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) was forced into a U-turn under pressure from the JC.
Last month, the CPS announced it intended to drop racially or religiously aggravated elements of the charges against Abdullah Qureshi, 28, who had pleaded guilty to assault after attacking at least three Jewish victims in Stamford Hill last summer.
In one incident, an Orthodox Jewish man was struck in the face with what appeared to be a bottle. In another, a child was slapped on the back of the head. And a 64-year-old victim was struck and left unconscious on the ground, suffering facial injuries and a broken ankle.
The decision to spare Qureshi race-hate charges sparked widespread outrage. It prompted the Campaign Against Antisemitisim (CAA) to make representations to the CPS, along with other communal organisations and Jewish leaders. The JC added to the pressure with a front page story last week.
On Friday, the CPS dramatically changed its stance, announcing that it would reinstate the racially orreligiously aggravated element of assault charges against Qureshi, from Dewsbury in West Yorkshire.
Lord Carlile QC, the former government reviewer of anti-terrorism legislation, said: “I am very glad to see that the CPS has re-examined its charging decision in this case. It will be for the court now to decide whether it is proved that the defendant is guilty. This change in decision by the CPS can be attributed to a considered review by the DPP, built on pressure from outside, notably by the JC.”
Qureshi had pleaded guilty at Thames Magistrates’ Court to four counts of common assault, one count of criminal damage and one count of wounding or grievous bodily harm.
The incidents, reported by community organisation Shomrim, prompted the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, to condemn “this appalling attack”. He added: “Let me be clear, racist abuse and hate crime, including antisemitism, have absolutely no place in our city.”
Stephen Silverman, Director of Investigations and Enforcement at Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “In a violent spree, Abdullah Qureshi attacked innocent Jews as he came across them in the street, from a young child to an elderly man.
“We applaud the Shomrim for reporting these incidents and the police for identifying the perpetrator.
“We welcome the CPS’s decision to reinstate the aggravating element to the charges, but it must be said that it is disappointing that it took sustained outrage from the Jewish community, including representations from us, the Community Security Trust and others and leading coverage from the JC to bring this about.
“Polling shows that a majority of British Jews do not believe that the CPS does enough to protect them. The CPS must recognise that its choices have a serious impact on the Jewish community and it must strive to do better.”
Claudia Mendoza, co-ceo of the Jewish Leadership Council, said: “This is good news and hopefully the beginning of a new and consistent approach by the CPS.
“It’s a shame that it required the JC, the Community Security Trust and other communal organisations to criticise their decision for a U-turn to be achieved.”
Board of Deputies President Marie van der Zyl said: “We are pleased to hear that in this particular instance the CPS has reinstated religiously aggravated charges against an individual who allegedly carried out assaults on Jewish people last August.
“We look forward to meeting senior CPS representatives in the near future to discuss how to further address longstanding concerns about failures to properly charge those accused of antisemitic behaviour.”
And top lawyer Daniel Berke, a director at UK Lawyers for Israel, said: “It is encouraging to see that the CPS has now charged Abdullah Qureshi with racially/ religiously aggravated offences.
“The review should not have required such expressions of outrage and a committed campaign from the JC to ensure that appropriate charges were brought.”