Man given hospital order for antisemitic Stamford Hill attacks

A man will be detained in a secure medical facility after being sentenced over a series of attacks on members of the Jewish community in Hackney.

Abdullah Qureshi, 30, was handed a hospital order on Thursday after he was convicted of the attacks last November.

Judge Kalyani Kaul KC described his crimes as being “terrible events for the entire Jewish community”.

Detectives launched an investigation after three people were assaulted within a two-hour period in the Stamford Hill area on the evening of August 18, 2021.

Qureshi, from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, pleaded guilty to two counts of assault by beating, and one count of GBH, in relation to the attacks.

In one incident a bottle was used to strike an Orthodox Jewish man, while a 14 year-old child was slapped on the back of the head in a second incident.

Another victim was left unconscious on the ground.

Qureshi was found guilty of one count of racially or religiously aggravated grievous bodily harm and two counts of racially or religiously aggravated common assault at Wood Green Court on Thursday.

His legal team had earlier argued that he was suffering from anxiety and depression, and that “internal voices” had told him to carry out the attacks.

A hospital order is given when a person has been convicted but a court has been advised by doctors that the person has a mental health issue that requires hospital treatment.

Further sentencing could still occur.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had initially dropped the racially/religiously aggravated element of charges against Qureshi as part of a plea deal.

But after communal organisations made representations to the CPS it was agreed to restate this aspect of the charges.

Detective Chief Inspector Yasmin Lalani, from the local policing team, said: “The Met will not tolerate any form of discrimination or abuse. London is an incredible and diverse city and it is completely unacceptable for certain sections of our communities to be subjected to deplorable abuse and harassment.

“Abdullah Qureshi’s action caused severe distress to the victims, their families and the wider Jewish community. I can only hope the victims in this case find some comfort in the fact that Qureshi has been sentenced after the ordeals they suffered.”

He added: “I would like to thank Shomrim, the Community Security Trust, Hackney Independent Advisory Group and Varinder Hayre of the Crown Prosecution Service for their support throughout our investigation. Together we have achieved justice for the victims.

“Our message is clear – we will not tolerate hate crime. Do not come to Stamford Hill to commit offences against our community – we will hold you to account.”