A man has been sentenced following a Metropolitan Police investigation into threatening and religiously motivated phone calls made to Finsbury Park Mosque.
Lee Harper, 47, of Hornsey, appeared at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court on Monday, March 10, where he was sentenced to 10 weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for 18 months.
The court heard that Harper made multiple violent and threatening phone calls to the mosque on Tuesday, 21 January, which were deemed to be religiously motivated hate crimes.
Following a report from a member of Finsbury Park Mosque, the case was referred to the Metropolitan Police’s specialist hate crime team, who were able to trace the calls to the Haringey area.
Harper was arrested at his home on Friday, 24 January and charged the same day with:
- Two counts of sending offensive and indecent messages, and
- One count of sending threatening communications with intent to cause death or serious harm.
During his hearing, Harper pleaded guilty to all charges. In addition to the suspended prison sentence, the court imposed a five-year restraining order, preventing him from contacting or visiting Finsbury Park Mosque, and ordered him to complete 200 hours of unpaid work.
Met Police Condemn Hate Crime
Detective Superintendent Marco Bardetti, who led the investigation, said:
“This investigation demonstrates our continued determination to protect communities across London from religiously motivated hate crime. Tackling it is at the centre of our efforts to make all Londoners feel safe.
Lee Harper’s behaviour was totally unacceptable, and I thank members of Finsbury Park Mosque for putting their trust in the Met and the Crown Prosecution Service to report this crime promptly and support our investigation.”
Call to Report Hate Crimes
Police are urging the public to report all forms of hate crime, whether verbal, physical, or online.
Anyone who experiences or witnesses a hate crime can report it by calling 101 or via the Metropolitan Police website. In an emergency, always call 999.
