Man admits racially aggravated assault after accusing Jewish man of ‘killing babies’ in ‘pure hate crime’

Dan McDonald
Sat, 25 Apr 2026 01:52:12 +0000

A man has admitted carrying out a racially aggravated attack on an Orthodox Jewish victim in Berkshire.

Shafiq Rahman, 48, pleaded guilty at Reading Magistrates’ Court to racially aggravated common assault, using threatening words to provoke violence, and criminal damage.

District Judge Devinder Sandhu branded the incident a “pure hate crime”.

She said: “I am appalled and startled by what I saw on that footage, a completely unprovoked attack on a man who was simply doing his job.”

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The assault took place on April 20 in Elliman Avenue, Slough, while the victim was working in the area.

Rahman, riding a bicycle, approached the man and launched into a tirade of abuse, which was captured on video.

Footage played in court showed Rahman shouting “dirty Jew”, accusing the victim of “killing babies in Palestine”, and threatening to “break his jaw”.

Prosecutor Anushka A said Rahman also shouted: “Jew, what are you f****** doing here Jew.”

The court heard the victim had been wearing a kippah and believed he was targeted because of his religion.

The victim, who identified himself to the BBC as Moshe, did not attend court, but his statement was read aloud.

“This incident has changed my perspective on what it is to be a Jew openly in public,” it said.

Moshe added he felt “physically targeted due to my religion”.

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Rabbi Herschel Gluck, who leads the Shomrim neighbourhood watch group in north and east London, said the victim remains “deeply shocked”.

“He’s recovering, but of course it’s a shock to the system,” he told the Press Association.

The rabbi called for stronger action to tackle racial abuse, warning: “One incident like this is one incident too many.”

“They need to approach this matter from the perspective that British citizens are being attacked, are being subjected to racial abuse, and what can they, the Government, do to change the direction of travel," he added.

The Community Security Trust described the attack as “disgraceful” and “terrifying”.

A spokesman for the Jewish charity said: “No-one should be targeted because of who they are, and antisemitic hate crimes like this continue to create fear and anxiety for Jewish people across the country.

“We will keep working with the police, government, and local communities to ensure that antisemitic hate is tackled wherever it appears.”

Rahman was released on bail and will be sentenced at Reading Crown Court on July 10.