A man who shouted racist abuse at a Jewish man on the way to a synagogue
escaped criminal action after agreeing to a face-to-face apology.
The victim, who was wearing his kippah, was abused by a driver as he
walked to the synagogue in Salford .
He noted down the car registration, called police and officers tracked
the man down at a house in Halifax a week later.
The abuser immediately admitted to using racist language and agreed to
‘restorative justice’ instead of facing a possible criminal charge or a caution.
He followed up his letter of with a face-to-face apology witnessed by a
rabbi.
In the letter the man, aged in his 20s, wrote: “Please allow me to
apologise for any offence I have caused to you or any member of your
community.”
He admitted that his abuse was ‘inappropriate and lacked respect for the
Jewish community’.
He said he was ‘disgusted’ at his actions and promised it wouldn’t
happen again, adding: “I hope you appreciate that this action was out of the
ordinary and was extremely childish behaviour.”
The victim, 24, was told he could refuse the apology if he didn’t
believe it was sincere and his abuser could then still face a criminal charge.
But speaking to the M.E.N., he said: “I found the restorative justice
process incredibly rewarding. It allowed me to understand the mindset of the
offender – who was of similar age to me – and give him the opportunity to see
the consequences of his crime.
“Although the abuse didn’t
have a massive impact on me personally, I wanted him to see what affect his
mindless act could have on a more vulnerable member of the community. What if
it is was your mum or gran, for example?
“Incidents like this have a
wider impact on the Jewish community and can instil fear. After the meeting, I
shared my experience with community members which gave them confidence in the
restorative justice process and how police deal with hate crime.”
The incident emerged as part of ‘restorative justice week’ which was
trumpeted by deputy Police and Crime Commissioner Jim Battle.
He said: “Jack’s story shows that when used in the right way,
restorative justice really works, allowing criminals to face up to what they’ve
done and giving victims the closure they need.
“However, it must be used
appropriately and be victim-led and victim-focused. If the victim is not
comfortable with the process and doesn’t feel involved then restorative justice
is not the way to go.
“Restorative justice is
proving successful in Greater Manchester and we want more victims to have the
opportunity to take part in this process. Police and Crime Commissioner Tony
Lloyd is currently working with Restorative Solutions and GMP to map how restorative
justice is being used across Greater Manchester and see where improvements can
be made to ensure the needs of victims remain at its heart.”
Visit http://www.gmvictims.org.uk/RJto
find out more.
