Man Receives Suspended Sentence Over Quran Burning Attack

On 13 February in Rutland Gardens, Knightsbridge, Hamit Coskun, 51, travelled to the Turkish consulate area and set fire to a Koran while shouting anti-Muslim slogans. Moussa Kadri, 59, emerged from a nearby building, told Coskun "I'm going to kill you", returned with a knife and slashed at him, later chasing, spitting on and kicking him; Kadri told police he was protecting his religion. Kadri pleaded guilty to assault and possessing a bladed article and was sentenced to 20 weeks in prison suspended for 18 months, 150 hours of unpaid work and 10 days of rehabilitation activity, and was reported to have been ordered to pay costs. The judge described Kadri's loss of temper as "disgraceful" and warned that the use of blades is "a curse on our community." Coskun was previously convicted of a racially aggravated public order offence for burning the book, and the case prompted wider comment about protests and laws on religious offence.