Gang jailed for 'Jew-bashing' rabbi attack

The victim screamed in fear as the pack of thugs chased him down the street, throwing a piece of wood at him.

Newcastle Crown Court heard that the 41-year-old tripped as he fled and was surrounded by the teenagers as he lay on the ground.

One of the thugs was threatening to kick him in the head but the rabbi was saved when a friend ran to help.

The four attackers were sent to young offenders' institutions after admitting racially aggravated common assault this week.

Judge Brian Forster QC told them: "Gateshead is renowned for the large Jewish religious complex which is based there and members of the local community now feel unsafe as a result of what has taken place."

The attackers claimed they were in the area looking for a new mosque but one of them admitted the planned assault was motivated by the dispute between Israel and the Palestinians.

The night before carrying out the beating last July, Sultan sent a text message saying "I'm going to go Jew-bashing," and asked a friend: "Do you want to go to Gateshead to smash some Jews up?"

Bruised and cut, the rabbi was found dishevelled and confused. In a statement he told the court: "I feel shaken and unsafe to walk the streets in my own community.

"I have never experienced fear and terror like it and I have no doubt I was attacked for being Jewish. This has had a far-reaching impact, word having spread and fear having also spread."

Sultan later told police that when they saw the victim they chased him and threw a stick at him as a "protest about the Palestinians and about the Jewish community" but denied making any contact with him.

The gang members, who are all from Newcastle and aged between 17 and 19, were detained for between four and 12 months.