Man fined for shouting racist abuse at a woman

The Independent reports that a man was fined £500 for shouting racist abuse at a woman and accusing her of being responsible for the Manchester Arena terror attack.

David Blagburn, 47 from Vicarage Mount, Walney, verbally assaulted Shahina Patel on a train from London to Manchester. Referring to the Manchester attack, he told her that it was her family “who made this happen”, and warned her to “be aware” of how people would treat her “because of what you did.”

Ms Patel immediately reported the man to British Transport Police, sharing a video of the verbal assault she took on her phone. Blagburn was arrested, and pleaded guilty to racially aggravated harassment.

Commenting on the incident, investigating officer PC Adam Heslop said: “This kind of abuse is not acceptable and will never be tolerated. Any kind of hate crime is abhorrent and we take all reports extremely seriously.

“We urge anyone who witnesses behaviour like this or finds themselves victim to it to call us on 0800 40 50 40 or text us discreetly on 61016.”

If you live in Manchester, you can consult the Council’s strategy to combat hate crimes here.

If you have suffered or witnessed a hate crime, you can read the Council’s information on how to report it here.

You can also read how to report hate crimes to the Greater Manchester Police here.

MEND has an Islamophobia Response Unit where you can get advice and help. For more information click here.