‘Mean’ Hijab Offence Punished
Racially Aggravated Crime Highlighted by Judge
Racially aggravated offences are sometimes treated much more seriously because of the 'God Factor', but sometimes this just isn't right.
21-year-old Damien French of Rhyl, Wales, has been found guilty of racially aggravated common assault and public order offences after pulling the headscarf off a Muslim woman in the street. After what Recorder, Robert Trevor-Jones, told him was deplorable, despicable and "mean in the extreme", French was given an 18-week suspended sentence.
The Background
French suffers from learning disabilities and has a mental age of a 14-year-old, which may be used to explain his immature behaviour.
Last year he threw a rabbit into the alligator enclosure at the Welsh Mountain Zoo in Colwyn Bay and six weeks later, he carried out an unprovoked attack on a 14-year-old boy in Rhyl town centre, for which he had to pay £100 compensation.
“...beyond mere assault”
Before the most recent incident, French was witnessed racially abusing a coach full of Asians.
The victim, Shahenna Hussain, then saw French walking towards her along the pavement with his group of friends. Hussain was pushing a pushchair with her sister and two nieces along a Rhyl street and put her head down in an effort to avoid confrontation, but they noticed her and gave her a torrent of racial abuse.
French then went over to her and yanked her headscarf off her head, forcing open the pins that held it in place.
In the trial at Mold Crown Court, Mr Trevor-Jones said: "It goes beyond a mere assault - it was quite literally an intrusion which caused her great distress...It was a violation which she was angry about, and justifiably so."
The Religious Anomaly
While the offence Damien French committed isn’t something to be congratulated or applauded, the prospect of four-and-a-half months in jail is significantly more than some pedophiles are given.
Is this because of the religious issue? Probably. The authorities must be seen to be treating everyone fairly, but in doing so sometimes treat some groups disproportionately well.
This isn’t to say that there was no crime committed or that it didn’t deserve a punishment of some sort, but would the same offence against a Jew or the ripping of a crucifix from the neck of a Christian bring the same outrage from the judge? Would the breaking of child’s toy in the street or verbal abuse of pensioners also be described as "mean in the extreme".
Although Shahenna Hussain felt "extremely upset and angry" and violated by the incident, it is surely something she’ll get over, in comparison to the abused victims who need a lifetime to recover.
So come on British justice, sort it out and treat everyone equally for a change.
