Teenager gets 43-month sentence for brick attack on rabbi
Souraka Djabouri, 19, who viciously assaulted a Chigwell rabbi in May last year, has been sentenced to time in a youth offenders’ institution after pleading guilty.
Jenni Frazer is a freelance journalist
A teenager who viciously attacked a Chigwell rabbi in May last year has been sentenced by Chelmsford Crown Court to 43 months in a youth offenders’ institution, after pleading guilty to grievous bodily harm without intent, theft and aggravated criminal damage.
Souraka Djabouri, 19, admitted hitting Rabbi Rafi Goodwin over the head with a brick, in an assault after the rabbi stopped suddenly while driving, in order to avoid hitting a pedestrian who had walked out into the road from behind a parked van.
Djabouri, of Tudor Crescent, Ilford, first verbally abused the rabbi, invoking the fact that he was Jewish. Rabbi Goodwin drove off, but when he stopped at a junction, he found that Djabouri had followed him and had begun kicking at his car, damaging the wing mirror and the door.
The rabbi got out of the car to take pictures of Djabouri and another man who he believed were responsible for the damage. But he was assaulted with a brick and his phone was stolen. He needed urgent medical care as the assault necessitated stitches and resulted in serious swelling to his face and eye.
Djabouri and another man, 26-year-old Abderrahman Brahimi, were arrested by Essex Police, who treated the case as a hate crime. But prosecutors offered no evidence against Brahimi, and charges against him were dropped.
Djabouri pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm, theft and criminal damage on July 6. Speaking before the sentencing, PC Thomas Tod, of Loughton CID, said: “Hate crime is a priority for Essex Police and it simply will not be tolerated. Our drive to secure justice in this case shows that. We work shoulder to shoulder with our Essex partners to take a tough stance against hatred, and we work closely with the CPS to make sure that, where we identify hate crime offenders, they are brought to justice.”
In a statement, the United Synagogue’s chief executive, Steven Wilson, said: “We know this has been an exceptionally hard time for Rabbi Rafi and we hope that today will bring some measure of closure for him. We know he has been so well supported by Chigwell and Hainault United Synagogue’s leadership and members, and by the community more widely. We are very grateful to everyone who has helped him and his wonderful family over this period.
“We wish Rabbi and Rebbetzen Goodwin much hatzlacha as they step up to become the new senior rabbinic couple of Chigwell and Hainault United Synagogue, and know they will do a wonderful job with a community who love them — and whom they love.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
