Coventry man jailed after targeting Jewish man on TikTok
A Coventry man has been jailed after publishing a TikTok video in which he targeted a Jewish man whom he believed to be serving in the IDF.
Shakeel Yunis, 44, of Craven Street, Coventry, was sentenced to eighteen months’ imprisonment at Birmingham Crown Court on Monday, after he admitted to conveying a threat of serious harm.
In the video, Mr Yunis said that if the Jewish man was “caught in Nando’s with his family, people are not going to care. They’re going to drag him away from his family in front of his family…If he’s in his home, people are gonna go through his home like [name of victim] did with others in Gaza.”
Speaking directly to the camera, Mr Yunis said: “Do you think that people like me and many thousands with us are going to leave your people alone?”
Mr Yunis also said in the video: “You’re going to see the consequences of your actions.”
Apparently referring to Israel, he also said: “You see everything you’ve got your soldiers to do to others is now going to be returned to them tenfold.”
The victim moved homes, removed his image from social media and began using an alias due to fears for his safety as a result of the incident.
At the time that the video was published, the victim was soon due to give a talk at King’s College London as part of his charity work.
Whilst Mr Yunis believed that the victim was serving in the IDF at the time of the video, in fact the victim had already completed his service.
Campaign Against Antisemitism reported Mr Yunis to the Metropolitan Police on 28th March 2024, eight days after the video was published on TikTok.
On 19th June 2024, Campaign Against Antisemitism was granted a summons by the Westminster Magistrates’ Court to charge Mr Yunis in a private prosecution. He was charged with one count of sending a message that conveyed a threat of serious harm contrary to section 181 of the Online Safety Act 2023 and one count of sending, by means of a public electronic communications network matter, a message of a menacing character contrary to section 127(1)(a) and (3) of the Communications Act 2003.
Mr Yunis was arrested on 2nd August 2024, after which Campaign Against Antisemitism requested that the court proceedings adjourn whilst the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) confirmed its own charges against Mr Yunis. Campaign Against Antisemitism then requested that the court adjourn, as it was confirmed that the CPS’s charges related to the same conduct as in the private prosecution. The CPS then saw the case through to conviction and sentencing.
On 22nd August 2024, Mr Yunis pleaded guilty to one count of sending a communication threatening death or serious harm.
The court heard that Mr Yunis had “strong political views” but denied targeting people due to their race or religion. Matthew Cullen, Mr Yunis’ barrister, argued that he was acting on incorrect information and that he felt “severe guilt” about the matter.
In a letter to the court, Mr Yunis wrote: “I have had a long time to reflect on the mistakes I made. I have corrected a lot of the ways around how I conduct myself. I will think twice before letting my emotions take over and think twice before expressing my opinions the way I did.”
Judge Andrew Smith KC, sentencing at Birmingham Crown Court, said: “It was a very serious offence which undermines the operation of a stable and civilised society. The need for deterrence is established and is a highly relevant and important factor in your case.”
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Shakeel Yunis’ sentencing marks a victory against those who feel that they can target and endanger Jews with impunity. When antisemitism crosses the criminal threshold, there must be ruinous consequences, and that is exactly what Mr Yunis is facing. We are pleased to have played an important role in bringing this outcome about, and we thank the police and the CPS for treating this case with the seriousness that it merits.”
Image credit: West Midlands Police
