MAN CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTING TO MURDER GURU

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Man charged with attempting to murder guru

by Tim Healy

A 26-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder.

It follows allegations of an assault at the Gurdwara Namdhari Temple in Linden Street, Spinney Hill, Leicester, at approximately 5.25am on Sunday.

The alleged victim was Sri Satguru Uday Singh Ji, worldwide spiritual head of the Namdhari community. He was treated at the Leicester Royal Infirmary for injuries and later discharged.

The accused is due to appear at Leicester Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.

DOCTOR ILLEGALLY CIRCUMCISED DOZENS OF BOYS

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Doctor illegally circumcised dozens of boys

by David W Owen

A doctor has been ordered to pay more than £32,000 after admitting illegally circumcising dozens of young boys.

Dr Hassan Abdulla carried out the operations while working at the private Al-Khalill Clinic in Conway Road, Evington, Leicester, between October 2011 and January last year.

Leicester Magistrates’ Court heard that although he was qualified to perform the procedures, he did so without being registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC), which is required by law.

Dr Abdulla (62), of Scothern Lane, Sudbrook, Lincoln, pleaded guilty to five offences involving operations on individual boys when he appeared at court on Monday.

He also admitted to a charge relating to illegal surgery performed on a further 36 children.

He was fined £2,700 and ordered to pay over £30,000 in costs.

Carl May-Smith, prosecuting, told the court that healthcare services are required to be registered with the CQC so they can be “subject to regulation”.

He added it was important that people know whether such services “meet national standards of quality and safety”.

“Mr Abdullah should have known he needed to register, being a qualified health care professional with a duty to follow up on these matters,” he said.

Mr May-Smith said the CQC was alerted to Dr Abdulla’s illegal practice by members of the local community and the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust.

In bringing the prosecution, the independent health regulator carried out two visits to Dr Abdulla’s Evington practice.

Mr May-Smith said that what was found would not have met the national standards of quality and safety.

“Infection control practices were inadequate, equipment being used was out of date and staff were not appropriately trained,” he said, adding that five of the children Dr Abdulla carried out the procedure on suffered complications and required further medical treatment.

The court heard that Dr Abdulla had provided circumcisions for children, mainly of parents adhering to the Islamic and Jewish faiths, since the NHS halted offering non-therapeutic surgery back in 2005.

He had not been required to register with the previous health regulator, the Health Commission, before it was replaced by the CQCin 2009.

Russell Davies, in mitigation, said Dr Abdulla had sought to register with the CQC in September 2011 but had been unaware that his initial application had been rejected.

He pleaded guilty to the six charges on the basis that he should have known he could not provide the service without being registered with CQC.

The court heard, however, that the CQC wrote to Dr Abdulla when his application was refused and spoke to him by telephone.

Mr Davies added: “With Dr Abdulla’s behaviour, the objective was not commercial gain.

“He is not only a man of good character but someone with a hitherto unblemished record.”

Dr Abdulla was fined £450 for each of the charges and ordered to pay £30,099.80 court costs and a £15 victim surcharge.

Sentencing him, District Judge Timothy Daber said: “Without registration, the CQC had no power to regulate your practice, thereby putting patients at risk.”

Following the hearing, Fiona Allinson, compliance manager for the CQC, said: “This sends a clear message to any healthcare professionals that they not only need to ensure they are registered with CQC but we will take action against those who fail to do so.

“By not being registered, providers of care put people at risk as it is not possible for CQC to assess the quality of service being offered.”

PIG'S HEAD MAN SPARED JAIL

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Pig's head man spared jail 

by Tim Healey

A man who placed a pig's head at the door of a community centre used by Muslims has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Liam Ferrar (24) appeared at Leicester Magistrates' Court for sentencing yesterday, after pleading guilty to religiously aggravated harassment.

Ferrar went to Thurnby Lodge Community Centre, in Thurncourt Road, Leicester, in the early hours of December 26 and placed the severed head by the locked doors.

The head was facing worshippers from Muslim group As Salaam as they arrived at the centre that morning for prayers.

District Judge John Temperley, sentencing Ferrar to 12 weeks in jail, suspended for 12 months, told him: "You were well aware of the significance of your actions.

"You knew what you did would cause great distress. Indeed, that was your intention."

"The pig's head was positioned in such a way it could not be avoided by all those, including, potentially, young children, who had the misfortune to enter the building that morning.

"It is easy to imagine the shock, distress and disgust they would have felt.

"But the harm you caused goes further. Others in the community and beyond would also have been affected when news of the incident spread, prompting profound alarm, fear and insecurity."

The offence was committed at a time when protests were being held outside the community centre over plans by Leicester City Council to allow As Salaam take over a disused Scout hut nearby.

Mr Temperley said Ferrar would have been "keenly aware" of that background.

He said: "It should have been obvious what you did was intimidatory and would only serve to inflame an already tense and volatile situation."

He said the offence was so serious only a custodial sentence was justified. But Ferrar's remorse, previous good character, work in the community and the fact he was "highly unlikely to appear before a criminal court again" meant the sentence would be suspended.

The judge ordered Ferrar to complete 250 hours of unpaid work and pay costs of £85.

Ferrar had been to a party before he planted the head, which he had acquired at a barbecue the previous summer and kept in a freezer at his home in Brook Road, Thurnby Lodge.

Louise Cox, prosecuting, said Ferrar was a member of the Forgotten Estates group "that has been involved in protests about the use of the Scout hut".

Ferrar, who had acted as a liaison between the group and police and was seen by officers as a "calming influence", was recognised on the centre's CCTV footage.

After being arrested on December 28, he "became tearful" and confessed.

Ferrar's solicitor, Stephen Morris, said his client was deeply ashamed of what he had done and had distanced himself from Forgotten Estates.

He said Ferrar was concerned at the lack of facilities in the area and coached a junior football team for which he paid for items from his own pocket.

When the judge said the sentence would be suspended there was a sigh of relief from Ferrar's family and supporters.

After the hearing, Maxine Williams, licensee of the Stirrup Cup pub and a founding member of Forgotten Estates, said: "I was pleased for Liam that he is not going to prison.

"He is a good chap really."

As Salaam imam Moulana Mohammed Lockhat said: "We are happy justice has been done. We hope this will discourage anyone else from taking part in acts which promote religious and racial hatred."

Mr Morris said: "My client wishes to apologise to the As Salaam Trust for any distress his actions have caused."

Read the judge's comments in full here:

R v Liam Ferrar

Leicester Magistrates Court

18th February 2013

District Judge Temperley

Sentencing remarks

You have pleaded guilty to an offence of intentional harassment contrary to s4A Public Order Act 1986. The offence was religiously aggravated. In the early hours of Boxing Day last year, you placed a severed pig’s head outside the entrance doors to the Thurnby Lodge Community Centre, a building that has been used as a place of worship and Madrasah by a Muslim prayer group for approximately three years.

This offence was to some extent planned, premeditated and targeted. You were well aware of the significance of your actions. You knew that what you did would cause great distress, indeed that was your intention. On your version of events you had acquired the pigs head several months earlier. If that is true, your decision to keep it suggests that you either you or someone else had an offence such as this in mind. The timing of the offence may have been random but it was in my view clearly premeditated. The fact you were under the influence of alcohol is not a mitigating factor.

The pig’s head was positioned in such a way that it could not be avoided by all those, including potentially young children, who had the misfortune to enter the building that morning.

It is easy to imagine the shock, distress and disgust they would have felt. The witness statements I have read bear testimony to the serious impact of your actions. But the harm you caused goes further. Others in the local community and beyond would also have been affected when news of this incident spread, prompting profound alarm, fear and insecurity.

In sentencing you I cannot ignore the context in which the offence was committed. For several months protests had been taking place outside the community centre. The police have been involved and as a result there are a number of cases currently before this court.

Whilst I do not suggest you were involved in any of those incidents, as a leading member of the so called Forgotten Estates Group you would have been keenly aware of the background and you would have appreciated better than most the likely effect of your actions in this wider context. It should have been obvious that what you did was intimidatory and would only serve to enflame an already tense and volatile situation. There was a real risk that your behaviour could either prompt others to exact retribution or encourage others to behave in a similar way.

It is not disputed that initially you were seen by the police as a reliable point of contact and in their words a “calming influence”. I accept that you disassociated yourself from the Forgotten Estates Group because you were concerned that it was being hijacked by others with more sinister motives.

I take account of the fact that you are a young man of previous good character. You have never been in any trouble with the police before. The character references I have read do you great credit. You regularly give your time, energy and money to good causes and to helping others.

I also accept that you have demonstrated genuine remorse and regret for your actions. You cooperated with the police and pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.

I have read the pre sentence report prepared by the Probation service and noted their recommendations.

Weighing up all these factors and applying the Sentencing Guidelines I conclude that this offence is so serious that only a custodial sentence is justified. Were it not for the element of religious aggravation a community penalty would be appropriate. But this is an offence where the targeting of a particular religious group is the most serious factor and consequently a custodial sentence is inevitable.

However in view of your considerable personal mitigation and the fact that you are highly unlikely to appear before a criminal court again, I will suspend the sentence.

I have reduced the sentence by one third to reflect your guilty plea. The sentence I impose is 12 weeks imprisonment suspended for the period of 12 months. There will be one community requirement attached to the order, namely that you will undertake 250 hours of unpaid work.

You will also pay costs of £85.

LEICESTERSHIRE POLICE: "NO TOLERANCE FOR DISCRIMINATION"

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Leicestershire Police: "No tolerance for discrimination"

Police have warned that there is no tolerance in Leicester for discrimination.

They spoke after Liam Ferrar (24) admitted religiously-aggravated harassment aimed at the Muslim community.

The force said Ferrar was arrested and charged within three days of the incident, in which he left a pig's head outside a community centre in Thurnby Lodge, in the city, where a Muslim group held prayers.

Superintendent Mark Newcombe said: "This was clearly a religiously- motivated offence which was directed at those using the community centre as a Muslim place of worship, who found the incident extremely upsetting and shocking.

"We have no tolerance for discrimination in Leicester, of any kind, and the majority of people in the area were left very upset by the incident."

He said he hoped that Thursday's hearing at Leicester Magistrates' Court would "send a clear message to people like Ferrar, that all those in the criminal justice system will do all they can to bring you to justice".

Judith Walker, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "Everyone has the right to practice their faith without fear of harassment.

"There is no place in our community for this kind of action that deliberately targets people on the grounds of their religion and the Crown Prosecution Service takes this kind of offending extremely seriously.

"Liam Ferrar admitted that he had left the head at the community centre and, in charging the offence, we were satisfied that his actions were motivated by hostility to cause shock and distress.

"Pigs hold a particular significance in the Muslim faith and this action was highly offensive to his victims."

The court was told that on the evening of December 25 last year, Ferrar went to Thurnby Lodge Community Centre, in Thurncourt Road, and placed the pig's head by the locked doors.

The head was facing outwards, towards the worshippers from Muslim group As Salaam, who arrived at the centre the following morning, Boxing Day.

The community centre has been the scene of regular protests since the summer over a former Scout hut nearby, which Leicester City Council was going to allow As Salaam members to use for prayers instead of the community centre.

The protesters wanted the Scout hut to be kept for use by the wider community.

THREE DENY CHARGE OVER HUT PROTEST

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury (but not on its website):

Three deny charge over hut protest

Three men have appeared in court over offences alleged to have taken place during protests against Muslim group As Salaam using a former scout hut in Thurnby Lodge.for prayers.

Since the summer, people have been holding regular demonstrations outside Thurnby Lodge Community Centre in Thurncourt Road, Leicester, opposing plans to let Muslim group As Salaam take over the nearby hut.

The demonstrations were heavily policed, and protesters were kept 100 metres away from the community centre, where As Salaam members held prayers.

On December 14, three men who all live on the Thurnby Lodge Estate - James Ellliott, Jeffrey Copeland and Lee Murren - were allged to have breached the order.

They appeared in Leicester Magistrates' Court yesterday, where all three pleaded not guilty to knowingly failing to comply with a condition imposed by a senior police officer under section 14 of the Public Order Act 1986.

The case was adjourned until April, when a two-day trial is due to take place.

Elliott (20) of Rona Gardens, Copeland (37), of Thurncourt Road, and Murren (47), of Lyminton Road, were released, were released on conditional bail.

PIG'S HEAD MAN TOLD HE COULD GO TO JAIL

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

Pig's head man told he could go to jail

A man who placed a pig’s head outside a community centre used for prayers by Muslims has been warned he faces a possible jail sentence for the offence.

Liam Ferrar (24) appeared at Leicester Magistrates’ Court today to admit religiously aggravated harassment aimed at the Muslim community.

The court heard that Ferrar had acquired the pig’s head at a wedding the previous summer, and kept it in a freezer at his home in Brook Road, Thurnby Lodge, Leicester.

On Christmas night last year, December 25, he went to Thurnby Lodge Community Centre, in Thurncourt Road, and placed the head by the locked doors.

The head was facing out, towards the worshippers from Muslim group As Salaam who arrived at the centre the following morning, Boxing Day.

Louise Cox, prosecuting, said: “He was drunk and had been to a party and decided to get it out of his freezer and leave it outside the community centre.

“He did know the impact it would have.”

The community centre has been the scene of regular protests since the summer over a former Scout hut nearby, which Leicester City Council was going to allow As Salaam members to use for prayers instead of the community centre.

The protesters wanted the Scout hut to be kept for use by the wider community.

Miss Cox said the community centre keyholder, who was the first member of As Salaam on the scene on Boxing Day, later told police he was upset by the sight of what he at first had thought was a cat.

“He said he was sickened and disgusted and quickly returned to his vehicle,” she said.

Miss Cox added that the keyholder “said the protest had led to people congregating outside at prayer time and shouting racist comments”, and that “he has heard a number of those racist comments.”

She said Ferrar was a member of the Forgotten Estates campaign group “that has been involved in the protests about the use of the Scout hut”.

“There’s intelligence about this defendant playing a fundamental role in the protest group,” she said.

Ferrar, who at times acted as a liaison between the protest group and the police, was recognised by officers viewing CCTV footage, the hearing was told.

After being arrested on December 28, Ferrar “became tearful” and confessed, the court heard.

After the worshippers found the pig’s head, As Salaam imam Moulana Mohammed Lockhat decided to call the police, who removed it.

Miss Cox told the court Mr Lockhat said in his statement that the incident was “extremely distressing” for the worshippers, “The pig is a creature Muslims are forbidden from using any part of,” she said.Miss Cox added Mr Lockhat had said that “prior to the pig’s head incident, he received malicious communications in relation to pig’s heads and blood”.

There was no suggestion in court of who might have sent the “malicious communications”, nor by what means they were sent.The case was adjourned for a probation report.

District judge John Temperley told Ferrar it was an “extremely serious case”, and that “all options, including custody” were being considered.

Ferrar has been required by a court order to live outside the Thurnby Lodge area, and has been staying with a relative in West End, Leicester.

Steve Morris, representing Ferrar, made an application for his client to be allowed back onto the Thurnby Lodge estate, but the application was declined.

Ferrar is due back at Leicester Magistrates’ Court next month for sentencing.

After the hearing, Maxine Williams, licensee of the estate’s Stirrup Cup pub, and a founding member of the Forgotten Estates group, said: “When it happened I was so saddened by the whole affair and it was very sad and distressing for the Muslims, no doubt.

“I think it’s very sad that it’s so out of character for Liam to do anything like this at all.

“He’s a lovely boy and I still can’t believe it was him.”

She added: “It’s so sad he’s done it and the consequences are so harsh.”