Two teenagers sentenced for racist assault on rabbi in Hackney

Two teenagers have been sentenced and given a curfew after launching a racist attack on a rabbi in Hackney.

The Met Police were made aware of the incident by a third party, who saw the assault at about 9.45pm in Amhurst Park on November 29.

Aged 15 and 16, the two boys assaulted the 54-year-old rabbi, inflicting minor injuries, and subjected him to a barrage of antisemitic abuse.

READ MORE: Hackney had second most reports of antisemitic hate crime in London in 2019Officers tracked down the victim and, once he had returned from a pre-planned trip, made contact with him on December 3.

Following a media appeal and release of CCTV, a member of public identified the teenagers - who then went to an east London police station in the early hours of December 17 to be arrested.

The boys, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were sentenced at Stratford Youth Court today (July 21) for racially aggravated common assault.

They both received a 12-month Youth Rehabilitation Order, an electronically-monitored curfew from 6pm to 6am for 30 days, a £21 victim surcharge each, and were ordered to do a ten-day Diversity Awareness Programme.

Det Con Matthew Cooksey, from the Met’s Central East BCU, said: “Hate crime is not tolerated and we take such offences extremely seriously.

“This incident highlights the efforts we are willing to take to track down suspects. It is upsetting that the boys refused to take responsibility for their crimes by pleading not guilty.

“I hope the conviction has given some sort of closure to the victim.”