Man fined for east London 'gay free zone' stickers

Mohammed Hasnath put the stickers on a bus and at a DLR station

A man has been fined after pleading guilty to putting up homophobic stickers in east London.

Mohammed Hasnath, 18, of Leamouth, Tower Hamlets, was fined £100 for the public order offence relating to using threatening words and behaviour.

Four stickers with the message "gay free zone" appeared at Bow Church DLR station, Whitechapel and on a bus, between 11 and 14 February.

Westminster magistrates' court also ruled Hasnath should pay £85 costs.

In February, a group of residents countered the stickers by replacing the words "gay free zone" with "love".

Nicolas Chinardet, 36, who was among the group that changed the stickers, said he thought that Hasnath's punishment was fair.

"He is just a pawn, he is not the person responsible for it all," Mr Chinardet said.

"I felt sadness, frustration and disappointment that people can do something like that. I was not angry."

Religious groups, including the Muslim Council of Britain and the East London Mosque, also condemned the stickers, which appeared to reference the Koran.