Suspect in Stamford Hill alleged assaults barred from entering M25 until trial in January

The trial has been set for a suspect in a series of alleged assaults in Stamford Hill in August.

Abdullah Qureshi, from Dewsbury in West Yorkshire, was charged last month at Thames Magistrates’ Court with one count of racially or religiously aggravated wounding or grievous bodily harm, four counts of racially or religiously aggravated common assault and one count of racially or religious aggravated criminal damage.

The charges relate to five incidents on 18th August investigated by Metropolitan Police’s Central East Command Unit. Groups including Campaign Against Antisemitism and Stamford Hill Shomrim, the Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol, put out witness appeals following the incidents, as three of the five alleged incidents were caught on video.

In one incident at 18:41, an Orthodox Jewish man was struck in the face with what appeared to be a bottle. In another at 19:10, a child was slapped on the back of the head, and in yet another at 20:30, a 64-year-old victim was struck and left unconscious on the ground, suffering facial injuries and a broken ankle. It is understood that two further incidents have been alleged.

A trial for Mr Quershi has been scheduled for 18th January at Stratford Magistrates’ Court.

It is understood that, in lieu of remand, Mr Quershi is prohibited from travelling into the M25.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “These attacks were not ‘random’ in the usual sense: these victims were chosen because they are Jews. We applaud the police for their swift investigation and expect the authorities to ensure that justice is done for the victims of these violent hate crimes.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s analysis of Home Office statistics shows that an average of over three hate crimes are directed at Jews every single day in England and Wales, with Jews almost four times more likely to be targets of hate crimes than any other faith group.