A "Poisonuos Crime"

Danthus

Danthus

Danthus

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http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/news/crime/mosque-attackers-jailed-1-6959659

Four men have been jailed for a total of more than three years over the throwing of a pig’s head into the grounds of a mosque two days after the murder of soldier Lee Rigby.

Preston Crown Court heard the incident at Blackpool Central Mosque described as a prank that went horribly wrong as four men appeared for sentence over their involvement in the 
attack.

The judge said he had considered a request by the mosque’s iman Ashfaq Patel – made in Saturday’s Gazette – for the defendants to be spared jail.

Mr Patel said: “As long as they realise what they did was offensive and wrong, I don’t think they should end up behind bars.”

Yesterday judge Judge Graham Knowles told the defendants: “Even now the Imam asks for mercy for you and strives to understand you.”

Thomas Ashton, 21, of Dudley Avenue, Layton, 30-year-old Andrew Warner of Browning Avenue, Lytham, Travis Crabtree, 25, of Inver Road, North Shore, and 28-year-old Steven White of Vicarage Mews, Marton, all admitted a charge of religiously aggravated intentional harassment, alarm or distress.

Ashton was given 10 months prison, Warner seven months, Crabtree 14 months and White eight months.

The offence took place on May 24 last year, two days after Fusilier Lee Rigby was murdered by Islamic extremists in Woolwich, South London.

Judge Knowles described it as a “poisonous” crime.
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Does that crime really warrant a prison sentence?
 
I don't have a problem with the prison sentence - their behaviour was pretty obnoxious at best. It may seem a tad unfair when compared to other sentences, but that's politics for you. As far as I'm concerned the gold standard is these sort of sentences for any sort of serious anti-social behaviour.
 
Make an example of intolerant pieces of scum, as far as I'm concered if people started throwing Richard Dawkins books into churches it should be the same.

If you're intentionally persecuting an innocent group of individuals then an example need be made.

I say that as an atheist.
 
Tis pretty nasty, deserves punishment certainly. I do think we lock too many people up and that really IMO prison should mostly be for violent crime - cases like the guy jailed for 'revenge porn' etc.. could be dealt with via community service. This one is borderline - while not violence per say it is clearly intimidating. I do wonder if it would have been better for them to be made to do a load of work for that community, certainly the cleric seems pretty tolerant... having them do some community service there might change their outlook. Currently they might well be stewing in some cell still getting wound up by 'dem muslamics'.
 
Rossi~ said:
A long community service might be a better idea? In this case, the community of the mosque would be quite apt.
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I'd prefer this to prison personally.

I'd also like to see prison used as a method of protecting the public, not as a tool of punishment (far more productive ways of punishing a person, such as community service).
 
OldCoals said:
It was a single incident, I don't think anyone has been persecuted in this case.
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I read a few weeks back about a young lady putting bacon over the handle of a mosque. It's not isolated.

The very concept of prison is not punishment or public safety. It is rehabilitiation, it doesn't work but it should.
 
An Oldcoals thread? Excellent, I can get me some Muslim related news from a handy Daily Mail link....

No DM link :(

Edit;
I'm split on whether the sentence was just. I think there's an element of laying a marker down that this sort of behaviour is not to be tolerated - it's not simply a harmless prank. On the other hand, the best part of a year in prison for 4 guys is a lot for something which would cause upset rather than actual harm.
 
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No problem with them being punished. It's the fact the law isn't applied in equal measure to everyone that gets me. Emdadur Choudhury being fined £50 for burning poppies on Rememberance Sunday for example.
 
Ridiculous,

Around 10 years ago, my local art gallery hosted a contemporary exhibition by an African "Artist" which revolved around visitors being invited to kick bibles around a room.

Although it generated a few angry letters to the local paper, no one batted an eyelid really and it certainly didn't attract the attention of the law enforcement agencies.
 
Meanwhile the paedophile Westminster rapists and the thieves that stole billions from the economy walk around without a care in the world.
 
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