Hate Crime Awareness Week
Hate Crime Awareness Week: A blog from Lionel Idan, CCP for London South | The Crown Prosecution Service view his blog here
Read more...A man has admitted repeatedly daubing offensive graffiti on a mosque.
Racist slurs were left on three different occasions at the gate of the Masjid E Salaam Mosque in Preston, Lancashire, and on a nearby NHS sign in the same area.
The BBC have reported that Gavin Edghill, aged 47, has admitted five counts of racially aggravated criminal damage at Preston Magistrates' Court, a few days after he was arrested.
He has been remanded in custody ahead of a sentencing hearing that will take place on 14th May 2019.
Edgill has admitted one offence of racially aggravated public order and a further five offences of criminal damage.
The offences at the mosque and on the NHS sign in Watling Street Road took place between Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
On Friday, the mosque posted photographs of the graffiti on Twitter, saying it remained "open for all" after cleaning up the offensive slurs, which appeared to have been left in permanent marker pen.
A senior representative from the mosque added that they did not "harbour any evil for those who wish otherwise".
There has been various hate related incidents where offensive graffiti has occured in Warwickshire in the past year. Most recently, a Kingdom Hall was targetted in the Brownsover area of Rugby.
EQuIP would like to encourage any person(s) that suspect graffiti or any other form of hate crime/incident to have occured to always call the police. You can ring 101 if you suspect unusual behaviour, but always call 999 in an emergency,.
You can report hate crime or incident online via the www.reporthatenow.com website, email advice@equipequality.org.uk or if you prefer to speak to someone in person, you can contact EQuIP on 01788 863117.