SPIRITUAL LEADER ATTACKED IN LEICESTER

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Sri Satguru Uday Singh Ji

Spiritual leader attacked in Leicester

A spiritual leader was taken to hospital after being attacked in the early hours of the morning in Leicester.

Sri Satguru Uday Singh Ji, the spiritual head of the Namdhari community worldwide, was taken to Leicester Royal Infirmary for treatment after the assault.

Police were called to the Gurdwara Namdhari in Linden Street, Leicester, at approximately 5.25am on Sunday August 11 following a report of an assault.

Officers attended the scene where Sri Satguru Uday Singh Ji was found to have been assaulted.

A 26-year-old man was arrested at the scene and remains in police custody.

At this time police believe it was an isolated incident, which was carried out by a single person.

Investigations are ongoing and police would ask anyone who has information about the incident or was in the Linden Street area between 3am and 6am on Sunday August 11 to contact them on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

LEICESTERSHIRE POLICE UPDATE, 28 MAY 2013

Leicestershire Police is again pleased to report that there have been no incidents in Leicester, Leicestershire or Rutland connected with the murder of a soldier in Woolwich.

There was a search in the Granby Street area of the city centre last night (Monday) after a report that members of the public were carrying a firearm. This is believed to have been an air rifle. Three people were arrested. No members of the public were harmed or threatened.

We are returning patrols to normal levels. This will be the last update connected to the Woolwich incident unless there is a change in the situation.

If you have continuing concerns, or information which can assist, please contact us on 101, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Brendan McGrath
Corporate Communications Department

TEMPLE INTRUDER CAUGHT ON CAMERA CARRYING OUT RAID

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Temple intruder caught on camera carrying out raid

by Ciaran Fagan

An intruder has been caught on camera raiding a Hindu temple.

The unidentified man broke into the Shree Hindu temple and community centre in St Barnabas Road, Spinney Hills, Leicester, in the early hours of Sunday.

The footage, which was captured by a number of cameras both inside and outside the centre, shows the man entering through a kitchen window shortly after 2.15am.

He is then seen going from room to room, bizarrely at one point crawling on his hands and knees.

At one stage, he is filmed using a fire extinguisher to smash the building's fire alarm system. He is then seen kicking open the door to the centre's main office.

The building's owners said the cost of repairing the damage caused by the intruder was likely to run to several thousand pounds.

They also said about £1,700 in cash had gone missing.

The temple also faces a repair bill of approximately £2,500.

The footage suggests the intruder stayed inside the building for four hours.

An external CCTV camera filmed him scaling the centre's main gate shortly after 6.15am.

Members of the temple who live nearby arrived a short time later, alerted by the building's burglar alarm.

Centre manager Mayur Sisodia [in photo above] said: "This is a place of worship, so people are very upset someone has broken in.

"A large sum of money has been stolen and we are keen to get that back.

"We hope someone can identify this man and tell the police who he is."

Dilip Joshi, the temple's priest, said: "People are very shocked someone would break into a temple."

Sanjay Keshav, a volunteer at the centre, said: "This is a place of worship, a house of God, so you would think it would be safe.

"The money which has gone missing was collected for the benefit of the elderly and needy. The fact it has been taken has caused a lot of distress to people here."

Police have launched an investigation into the break-in.

Inspector Bill Knopp, commander of Spinney Hill Park police station, said: "The people at the temple are upset but they're being very stoical about it and getting on with things.

"We're investigating this as a burglary and we'd like people to look at the CCTV footage and contact us if they know who this man is."

Contact Sgt Jim Kroczak on 101 or Crimestoppers, which is anonymous, on 0800 555 111.

THUG SPAT ON WOMAN WHO WAS WEARING A HIJAB IN HUMBERSTONE ROAD, LEICESTER

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Thug spat on woman who was wearing a hijab in Humberstone Road, Leicester

A thug spat at a woman in the street apparently because she was wearing an Islamic head scarf.

Police have appealed for help tracing the man, who targeted the woman in Humberstone Road, near Leicester city centre.

The 20-year-old woman was walking near to the St Matthews service station when she noticed three young men approaching her.

One of them spat on her as they passed by and the three began laughing as they walked away.

Officers have released a CCTV image of three people they want to trace.The incident happened shortly before 1pm on Monday, February 4.

Pc Dave Adams said: "The victim felt upset and frightened following the incident and feels that she was targeted because she was wearing a hijab.

"We will not tolerate people feeling intimidated and frightened on our streets and I would urge anyone with information to call us as soon as they can.

"The road was quite busy at the time of the incident so there is a possibility that passers-by and passing traffic may be able to help."

The three suspects are white, 18 or 19 and of slim build.

One was wearing a peaked cap and another was wearing a black hooded top.

Contact Pc Adams on 101 or Crimestoppers, which is anonymous, on 0800 555 111.

PEACE TALKS HELD AFTER RAMPAGE AT RESTAURANT

This article appears on the front page of today's Leicester Mercury:

Peace talks held after rampage at restaurant

Police and faith leaders met last night to find ways of easing tensions after the ransacking of a Muslim-owned restaurant by a 40-strong Sikh mob.

The city's top officers sat with representatives from Leicester Council of Faiths to discuss the apparently orchestrated attack by a vigilante gang at the Moghul Durbar restaurant, in East Park Road, Spinney Hills, on Monday night.

Police said they were worried the incident – which they said was fuelled by false rumours – would lead to revenge attacks and escalate as both groups sought retaliation.

City police commander Chief Superintendent Rob Nixon said Monday's attack was sparked by misinformation regarding the rape of a teenage Sikh girl.

"We are aware of a number of rumours and misinformation which is circulating within the communities in Leicester," he told the Mercury.

"Firstly, a rumour that a Sikh girl has been raped and Leicestershire Police has done nothing despite being in possession of video evidence of that rape. This is not true.

"Reports that a Sikh girl has been snatched from outside a gurdwara in Leicester are also false.

"As part of a separate investigation, officers are speaking with a girl and her family in relation to concerns her family have raised for her welfare. We are unable to comment further on this investigation.

"Leicestershire Police urges members of the community not to listen to rumour or speculate about the incident."

Workers and diners were injured when a frenzied mob piled into the restaurant on Monday evening, smashing doors and windows.

Three men were still in hospital last night, in a stable condition.

Within an hour of the attack, police had arrested six Leicester men in connection with the incident.

Yesterday morning, magistrates granted the police an extension, which means officers can detain the suspects for questioning for up to 96 hours from arrest, after which they must be charged or released.

Police met members of the Sikh and Muslim communities at Mansfield House police station, in the city centre, yesterday evening, to discuss ways to relieve the tension within the Spinney Hills community. Assistant city mayor Manjula Sood, who is chairman of Leicester Council of Faiths, was at the meeting.

She said: "Both the Sikh and Muslim communities are anxious, but they must trust the police to sort this matter out.

"We should not let this one incident destroy everything we have worked to build over all these years. Police have been in touch with all the religious communities and we are meeting to see how we can resolve this issue safely and without any more incidents."

City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said he had been in contact with the police and reiterated their call for calm.

"Something of this sort is worrying and distressing, but it's important to make the point of how unusual it is for something like this to happen in Leicester," he said. "And a lot of people have been left scratching their heads, wondering how it ever happened in the first place.

"We have to make sure that this does not go any further and the police are allowed to do their job."

Officers have been visiting places of worship, businesses and members of the community to reassure them the attack was an isolated incident.

Nosheen Awan, who runs designer clothing shop Rima's, a few doors away from the Moghul Durbar restaurant, said: "There have been a lot of rumours going around. It's hard to know what to believe.

"We haven't been open long and it's scary to know that something like this has happened."

Anyone with information relating to the incident can call police on 101.

Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

POLICE INVESTIGATE HATE MAIL CAMPAIGN AGAINST MUSLIMS

From today's Leicester Mercury:

Police investigate hate mail campaign against Muslims

Police are investigating a hate mail campaign in which racist material has been posted to Muslim community groups. 

The threatening letter and a series of offensive drawings specifically ridiculing Islam were sent to at least nine organisations, chiefly in the Highfields and Spinney Hills area of Leicester. 

The final line of the letter contains the sinister message: "You will expect to receive a box from Pandora and a bright sun shall light up your organisation." 

The sender claims to be a representative of the infamous race-hate organisation the Ku Klux Klan. 

The material was also sent to the Leicester Mercury's headquarters.
Suleman Nagdi, spokesman for the Leicestershire Federation of Muslim Organisations, said: "We are working closely with the police to help them find the person responsible for this hate mail. 

"We have passed on all the information that we can, and we sincerely hope the police catch the perpetrators of this crime, which has caused deep upset."
Mr Nagdi said the targeted groups were all members of the federation, which is an umbrella body for mosques and other Muslim groups in the city and county.
Detective Inspector Rob Widdowson said: "Early indications are that the letters have been sent by one person. 

"We recognise the seriousness of these offences and are committed to identifying the offender." 

He said it was important that recipients of the documents handled them as little as possible to give police a better chance of obtaining forensic evidence. 

"If people identify what they believe to be an offensive letter, please put it to one side and contact us immediately." 

Inspector Bill Knopp is commander of Spinney Hill Park police station, which covers the area of the city where many of the affected organisations are based. 

He said: "We are taking this investigation very seriously in recognition of the impact these letters and drawings have had on those who received them." 

Police are keeping an open mind on what offences have been committed by those behind the hate mail. 

It is most likely that the charge, if brought, would be the offence of malicious communications, which can be punished with a prison sentence of up to six months. 

Anyone with information is asked to contact Det Con Widdowson on 0116 222 2222, Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or send information via the police's website.