Two to be sentenced for throwing bacon into Edinburgh mosque

Categories: Latest News
Tuesday May 06 2014
Scottish newspapers, the Herald Scotland and Edinburgh Evening News continue with reports on the case of Chelsea Lambie, 18, and Douglas Cruikshank, 38, who were on trial on charges of racially aggravated threatening behaviour in connection with a hate crime incident at Edinburgh Central mosque last January.
The mosque had strips of bacon wrapped around its main door handles and streaks of bacon were also thrown inside the premises.
Cruikshank who initially denied the charges changed his plea and admitted guilt after prosecutors dropped the ‘racially aggravated’ element of the charge. He will now be sentenced for behaving in a threatening or abusive manner likely to cause fear and alarm.
Lambie will be sentenced for the same after a jury found her guilty. Lambie had denied the charges though admitted to being a member of the Scottish Defence League. In court, text messages read to the jury, sent from Lambie’s phone, read:
“Going to invade a mosque, because we can go where we want.”
Responding to a text asking “What you do last night?”, a reply was sent reading: “Went to the mosque in Edinburgh and wrapped bacon round the door handles, opened the door and threw it in ha ha ha”.
The court also heard Lambie abused a Muslim shopkeeper two years previously. She called Shafqat Mahmood a “Paki b******” and told him to “go back to his own country”.
It is surprising that the ‘aggravated’ dimension to the crimes were dropped by prosecutors when the use of bacon and the targeting of a mosque clearly demonstrate a biased motive. Enhanced sentencing normally follows when racial or religious aggravation is proven in a case. Something that Lambie and Cruikshank will not face given the reduced charges brought against them.
Sentencing has been deferred until 23 May for background reports.