A Hackney man who threatened to “blow up” Jewish schools a day after he was arrested for shouting “I will kill you Jews” has been jailed for five years.
Tavius Jean-Charles, 36, subjected six victims to repeated threats over several months between October 2025 and March 2026, with the incidents taking place near synagogues in north London.
He directed his threats towards individuals he believed to be Jewish, including shouting death threats and calling for Jewish schools to be blown up.
On March 16, police responded to reports a driver had observed a man shouting “I will kill you Jews” before the passenger window of his car was smashed as he drove along Manor Road, Stamford Hill.
Working with the Jewish volunteer security group Shomrim, officers identified Jean-Charles and arrested him a week later. But just 73 minutes after being released on bail, police received another report of a man matching his description overheard saying, “It would be good if we blew up one of their schools.”
Officers found him nearby within minutes and arrested him again.
Prosecutors said Jean-Charles repeatedly targeted members of the Jewish community in close proximity to synagogues.
Although he initially denied the charges, prosecutors said overwhelming evidence forced him to change his plea less than a month later. He eventually admitted a string of religiously aggravated offences and was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on Friday.
The court also imposed an indefinite restraining order banning him from contacting his victims or entering the Stamford Hill area.
Detective Chief Superintendent Brittany Clarke, who leads policing in the area, said: “Jean-Charles told detectives when he was interviewed that he didn’t have any negative feelings towards Jewish people. The evidence shows otherwise and I’m pleased my officers, working with our partners, have been able to bring him to justice.
“There is no place for hate in the capital. I hope this case demonstrates to the Jewish community in London how seriously we take antisemitic hate crimes.”
Following the Hatzola ambulances arson attack in Golders Green in March, the Met says it has launched the largest protective policing campaign in its history.
The force said it had made more than 90 hate crime arrests since the end of March, including over 70 arrests for antisemitic offences.
Counter-terrorism detectives are leading 11 investigations into attacks on the Jewish and Iranian communities, including a terror attack that saw two Jewish men being stabbed in Golders Green on April 29. The Met said detectives have made a total of 35 arrests in connection with those investigations, and 10 people have been charged.
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