Man who admitted to defacing Welsh war memorial with antisemitic graffiti spared jail
A man who admitted to defacing a Welsh war memorial with antisemitic graffiti has been spared jail, it was revealed earlier this week.
The graffiti on the memorial in Rhyl, Wales was discovered in February and included swastikas and vile messages which refer to the murder of Jews and gassing of soldiers.
The graffiti also contained the line, in German, that “the time has come for a Reich [empire]: we must exterminate the Jews.”
Gareth Bradley, 31, confessed last month to committing the act of hateful vandalism. He also pleaded guilty to defacing his prison cell with graffiti of a swastika in April.
After taking the defendant’s mental health into consideration, Judge Recorder Wyn Lloyd Jones handed him an eighteen-month sentence that has been suspended for two years for this offence, in addition to several other offences, which included racially abusing policing officers. Mr Bradley was also told to carry out a 50-day rehabilitation requirement.
Frances Wilmott, defending, told Caernarfon Crown Court: “None of the offences are sophisticated…they are the product of someone suffering ill mental health.”
The judge, taking Mr Bradley’s psychiatric reports into consideration, said: “It’s obvious he has serious mental health issues which go back to a very early age. His behaviour is disgraceful but anyone reading those documents will understand why he behaves the way he does.”
He added: “You clearly have long standing mental health problems which is a very important consideration in this case – a very difficult childhood clearly affected you in later life but I accept you are now remorseful for what you did.
“I have to consider and to decide what is best for society and what is best for you – it seems to me, having regard to your accommodation, your change of attitudes, possibly because of medication, there is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation…that’s why I’ve suspended the sentence. Your mental health is at the heart of this case and I’ve tried to have regard to that at every stage.”
Image credit: Richard Kendrick
