Reality TV star Dawn Ward cleared of antisemitism charges

Reality television star and property developer Dawn Ward has been found not guilty after she was accused of shouting antisemitic abuse at two Jewish brothers and slapping one of them in the face.

The 48-year-old Real Housewives of Cheshire star was accused of going on a “rant” at brothers Jake and Sam Jacobs at London Euston station after having “too many glasses of wine” at the Ritz hotel with her agent.

A jury heard that, on 29th October 2019, Ms Ward overheard the brothers asking aloud why their trains were delayed. She is alleged to have demanded of them: “Why do you lot always complain?”

Prosecutor George Wedge acknowledged that Ms Ward was referring to the Jacobs’ Jewish identity. Ms Ward, however, claimed that she had no idea that the Jacobs brothers or Sam Jacobs’s girlfriend Samantha Eisner, were Jewish.

Inner London Crown Court heard that the brothers chose to overlook Ms. Ward’s comments, only for her allegedly to become violent. She is alleged to have called Jake Jacobs a “fat c***” and a “Jewish p***k” and slapped him in the face. She also allegedly referred to Ms Eisner as a “little disease.”

Ms Ward has been cleared of two counts of racially and religiously aggravated harassment, causing alarm or distress.

After being cleared of two counts of causing racially aggravated harassment, alarm or distress and one count of possessing cocaine, Ms Ward is reported to have said: “I am still prone to tears and crying as I write this post. I don’t believe I will ever truly get over this…Anybody who remotely knows me knows I stand for equality of race, religion and sexuality and I will continue to live my life to these values and raise my children to do the same.”

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 more than four times likelier to be targets of hate crimes than any other faith group.