Man who smeared bacon on mosque door jailed

The incident happened on 11 August

A man who smeared bacon on the door of a mosque has been jailed for six months.

Marcus Edwards, 44, recorded himself smearing rashers on a mosque in Gillingham on August 11, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.

He claimed online that he would get away with it and that he would “trash a mosque every day”, the CPS added.

Edwards, of Gillingham Road in Gillingham, was sentenced on Friday at Maidstone Crown Court.

He had pleaded guilty to both criminal damage to property valued under £5,000 and racially/religiously aggravated criminal damage.

Chief crown prosecutor Kris Venkatasami from CPS South East said: “This was an abhorrent attack on a mosque and exceptionally distressing to our local Muslim community at a time when they are already feeling vulnerable because of recent events elsewhere in the country.

“Edwards arrogantly thought he would escape justice and tauntingly suggested he would ‘get away’ with targeting a place of worship.

"Within five days, he has been identified, convicted and faced the full force of the law."