The behaviour of three men calling themselves the ‘Muslim Patrol’, who roamed the streets harassing innocent members of the public, has been slammed.
The three were jailed on Friday following several incidents in Tower Hamlets in December 2012 and January 2013.
Jordan Horner, 20, of Radbourne Crescent in Walthamstow, was sentenced to 17 months imprisonment after pleading guilty to two counts of assault and two counts of using threatening words and behaviour.
Ricardo MacFarlane, 36, of Boyden House in Walthamstow, was sentenced to 12 months in prison after pleading guilty to affray.
A 22-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was sentenced to 24 weeks in prison for two counts of using threatening words and behaviour.
The men harrassed and intimidated innocent members of the public on the street because they believed their behaviour was 'un-Islamic'.
They targeted a couple who were holding hands in the street, a group of friends who were drinking alcohol, and a girl whom they deemed to be dressed inappropriately.
Speaking following the sentencing on Friday, Chief Crown Prosecutor for London, Baljit Ubhey, described the men as bullies who harrassed people whose behaviour was “entirely normal”.
She said: “They would roam the streets, seeking out victims whom they could target, and chanting threats to ‘kill the non-believers’.
“The behaviour of these victims, unlike that of the defendants, was entirely normal and utterly inoffensive to civilised society,” she added.
“The bullying behaviour of this group will not be tolerated in our city.”
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