A man has been charged with racially aggravated intentional harassment after an Orthodox man was allegedly locked on a bus in Stamford Hill and verbally abused.
The alleged incident occurred on October 27 last year, when passenger David Abraham, 53, was on his way home from synagogue in Stamford Hill.
He told the JC at the time that the situation unfolded when he went to tap his bank card to pay and it slipped from his hand, falling into the driver's cabin.
When he asked the driver to return it, he allegedly told him: “No, I am not giving it to you... I don't want to see a Mossad agent in my face... I don't like Jewish people.”
Abraham claimed that he pleaded with the driver to return his card and even said he would get off the bus if he gave it back, but the driver apparently continued to refuse, leading him to ask other passengers for assistance.
“They were nervous and they [asked the driver] why he was behaving like that,” he claimed.
Abraham said that all the other passengers ended up disembarking due to the row, and that he was also ordered to leave by the driver.
“He told me to get out [and leave the card] and said, ‘If you don't get out, I will lock you in the bus;’. I didn't, and he locked me in the bus.”
Abraham claimed he was locked inside for around an hour, during which he recorded a video of himself pacing up and down the bus, clearly anxious, and continuing to ask for his card.
He went on: “The police came and [asked the driver] ‘why won't you give him his bank card' and he said, ‘I can't give it, if you want to give it to him you have to open the door and give it to him’.”
“The police opened the cabin door, took my bank card and gave it to me.”
Abraham said that the police officers had to leave to attend another incident, but he later reported the abuse to the Met.
“I was very traumatised. I haven't been sleeping well. I'm wondering why he was behaving like this. I did nothing to him. I was very shocked. I panicked, and I was scared. I'm not safe,” he told the JC.
TfL confirmed to the JC that it had suspended the bus driver whilst an investigation took place, but did not name him.
A spokesperson at the time said: “We are concerned to hear of these allegations and are supporting the bus operator, Arriva, who are investigating.
“We take a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of hate crime, and work with the police to pursue anyone who is abusive to our customers or staff.”
The suspect, named by the Crown Prosecution Service as Paul Lindo, is due to appear at Thames Magistrates Court on November 16.
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