Hate crime charge after meat dumped outside West Bromwich gurdwara
A man has been charged with a hate crime after raw meat was emptied out of a bag outside a gurdwara.
On December 22 a man reportedly walked past the Guru Nanak Gurdwara in Edward Street, West Bromwich, and emptied a bag of raw meat outside.
The incident was caught on CCTV and was investigated by West Midlands Police as a hate crime. Only vegetarian food is served in gurdwaras, Sikh places of worship.
Now police have charged Tomasz Bruch, aged 42 and of no fixed address, with a hate crime offence. He was due to appear at Wolverhampton Magistrates Court yesterday (Thursday).
The force has shared its guidance for anyone who witnesses a hate crime.
A spokesperson said: "If you witness a hate crime or incident, make sure to report it.
"Not only will this help us deal with the incident, but reporting to the police will help us understand the extent of hate crime in your local area, so we can improve how we tackle and prevent future incidences.
"If you experience or witness a hate crime or incident, you can:
Call 999 if you feel you are in danger, threats have been made against you or if a crime is in progress
Call 101 for non-emergencies
"Alternatively, you can report it at a Third-Party Reporting Centre. These are community locations where you can report hate crimes or incidents without having to contact the police directly. You can find out more about Third Party Reporting Centres and where your nearest ones are here: https://www.westmidlands.police.uk/ro/report/hate-crime/information/v1/hate-crime/how-to-report-hate-crime/
"You can also find out more about hate crime and your options here: https://www.westmidlands.police.uk/ro/report/hate-crime/information/v1/hate-crime/."
