Newcastle teenagers attacked Jewish man in Gateshead because of Middle east conflict

From The Chronicle, HT Mike

A plot to attack a Jew on the streets of Tyneside was motivated by conflict in the Middle East, a court heard.

A gang of Newcastle teenagers hatched a twisted plan to randomly target a member of the North East’s biggest Orthodox Jew population in Gateshead.

Balawal Sultan, who hours earlier sent a text message saying he was “going Jew bashing”, said the attack was a protest about the conflict in Palestine. Sultan, Kesa Malik, Hassnain Aliamin, and a 16-year-old lay in wait behind a van in Bensham, Gateshead and pounced on a man as he walked home to his family. . . the pack of thugs chased him down the street, throwing a piece of wood at him. A court heard the 41-year-old victim tripped as he fled in fear and was surrounded by the teenagers as he lay on the ground. One of the thugs was threatening to kick him in the head when he was saved by his friend’s intervention.

The attackers claimed they were only in the area looking for a new mosque but one of them admitted the planned attack was motivated by the dispute between Israel and Palestine.

After all four teenagers pleaded guilty to racially aggravated common assault, the victim said he has been left feeling unsafe in his own community.

He said in a statement to Newcastle Crown Court: “I feel shaken and unsafe to walk the streets in my own community. “I have never experienced fear and terror like it and I have no doubt I was attacked for being Jewish I was targeted because of my religion and I’m now scared to walk past members of the Asian community with whom otherwise I have no problem.  . . . I’m part of a very close community and this has had a far-reaching impact, word having spread and fear having also spread. . . I’m a peaceful person from a quiet and peaceful community and I’ve never been in that position before. . . “

Prosecutor Bridie Smurthwaite said: “The defendants had deliberately travelled to the area in Gateshead where there were members of the Jewish community with the particular intention of targeting someone from that community. The Crown say the victim was targeted because he was wearing traditional Jewish attire, a black suit and white shirt and a black hat. . . “

Sultan said when they saw the victim they chased him and threw a stick at him as a “protest about the Palestinians and about the Jewish community” but denied making any contact with him.

Sultan, 18, of Croydon Road, Arthur’s Hill, Newcastle, Malik, 19, of Wingrove Gardens, Fenham, Newcastle, Aliamin, 18, a delivery driver and college student, of Croydon Road, Arthur’s Hill, and the now 17-year-old all admitted racially aggravated common assault.

Aliamin’s barrister said he accepted the attack was racially motivated and unpleasant and apologised for it. He said he had brought shame on his family. Barristers for the other two will mitigate for them at a later date, when they will be sentenced.