Images were released of the Stamford Hill attacker
(Picture: MPS)A man travelled nearly 200 miles to “deliberately target” Orthodox Jews on the streets of Hackney, a court has heard.
Abdullah Qureshi, 29, from West Yorkshire, is accused of punching a 64-year-old man in the face and knocking him against a wall in a series of attacks in the space of two hours in Stamford Hill.
He is alleged to have also slapped a 16-year-old boy and hit another man on the head with a bottle, in incidents which shocked the Jewish community.
Prosecutor Varinder Hayre told Thames magistrates court that Qureshi, from Dewsbury, deliberately targeted Jewish people in “religiously motivated attacks.” She added: “The prosecution’s case is that Mr Qureshi had travelled all the way from West Yorkshire and specifically went to Hackney, a place that is specifically associated with the Jewish community, to deliberately target members of the Jewish community and carry out religiously motivated attacks.
“Mr Qureshi only targeted those wearing traditional Jewish clothing and happened to be in that area.”
Qureshi, a Muslim, admitted in April the assaults on the two adult victims, but denies the incidents were anti-Semitic. He is also challenging the injuries suffered by the victims, the court heard.
It is alleged the first victim, a 30-year-old man, was struck on the head with a bottle in Cazenove Road just after 6.40pm on August 18 last year, but he escaped without serious injury.
Thirty minutes later, the teenage boy was “wearing a Jewish coat and Jewish hat when Mr Qureshi approached him and slapped him in the face”, Ms Hayre said, adding that the youngster was left “shocked and scared”.
About 8.30pm, Jacob Leipschwitz, 64, was walking to the local synagogue when he was allegedly punched by Mr Qureshi at the junction of Colberg Road and Stamford Hill. Police said at the time he suffered facial injuries, fell to the ground and lost consciousness, and needed hospital treatment after breaking a bone in his foot.
“It was deliberately targeted”, prosecutor Ms Hayre said. “It was a permanent or irreversible injury as a consequence of this unprovoked attack.”
CCTV of the incident involving Mr Leipschwitz was made public last August, as police went to local mosques and synagogues in a bid to catch the attacker.
“The attacks have caused considerable shock and concern from both communities, and we have been working closely with prominent members in a common effort to find the man pictured”, police said.
“All of the victims reported that the man approached without warning and assaulted them before quickly leaving. He is not reported to have said anything.”
Qureshi denies religiously aggravated grievous bodily harm and two charges of religiously aggravated common assault.
The case was adjourned for a trial at Stratford magistrates court on November 10 and Qureshi was freed on bail, with a condition not to go to Stamford Hill.
