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Hate Crime Convict Skips Sentencing, Jailed In Absentia
17 Mar
Summary
- Ibrahim Iqbal received a 40-week sentence for hate crimes and criminal damage.
- He defaced a Quran and wrote antisemitic graffiti before refusing court.
- The man assaulted an emergency worker and caused damage at a hospital.
A man convicted of multiple hate crimes has been sentenced to 40 weeks in prison, served in his absence. Ibrahim Iqbal, 36, was found guilty of religiously aggravated criminal damage and criminal damage for defacing a Quran at a hospital and writing antisemitic graffiti on a prison cell wall. He was also convicted of assaulting an emergency worker on November 25.
Leeds Magistrates' Court heard that Iqbal refused to attend his sentencing hearing. He had previously stormed out of a video link appearance from prison. Judge Daley noted the extensive court time wasted by prisoners refusing to appear. Iqbal's offenses at St James's Hospital in Leeds on November 29 involved tearing pages from Qurans, setting them alight, and smashing Islamic scripture.
He returned to the hospital on December 9, causing blockages in drains. While in police custody the following day, Iqbal scrawled an antisemitic slogan on his cell wall. Victim impact statements described the distress caused by the damage to the hospital's multi-faith centre. Iqbal, who has a history of mental health conditions including diagnosed schizophrenia, was also ordered to pay £650 in damages and a £187 surcharge. A warrant for his arrest has been issued.
