Man jailed for 16 months after antisemitic attack

A man who was filmed abusing a Jewish man and accusing him of "killing babies" in an antisemitic attack has been jailed.

Shafiq Rahman, 48, admitted racially aggravated common assault, fear or provocation of violence by words, and criminal damage in Slough in April.

Rahman, of Lismore Park, Slough, threatened the man in his 20s, known as Moshe, and a district judge previously said it was a "pure hate crime".

He was jailed for 16 months at Reading Crown Court.

Video footage filmed by Moshe showed Rahman accusing him of "killing babies in Palestine", threatening to break his jaw and knocking a mobile phone out of his hand.

Moshe said he was wearing a black kippah, a traditional head covering worn by Jewish men, at the time of the incident in Elliman Avenue.

"I was thinking two things," he said at the time. "Number one was survival.

"Number two, I was just berating myself: 'What were you thinking going out like this, in England, as a visible Jew?'"

In the video, Rahman can also be seen repeatedly swearing, asking "what are you doing round here, bro?" and calling Moshe a "dirty Jew".

Moshe said the incident had left him feeling unsafe.

Rahman's prison sentence also relates to another incident in which a dog being walked by him seriously injured a man in Thatcham in June 2025, Thames Valley Police (TVP) said.

Ch Supt Stuart Bosley, commander for Berkshire East, said Rahman had inflicted a "shocking and targeted attack" on Moshe and that it had a "profound impact not only on [him] but the wider community."

He added: "Everyone should feel safe to go about their lives without fear of harassment or abuse, and I sincerely hope that this case emphasises how seriously TVP take antisemitic hate crime."

A spokesperson for Shomrim, a non-profit voluntary organisation that works with police to keep Jewish communities safe, said the attack was "deeply disturbing".

They said: "We welcome the swift and professional response from TVP, which demonstrates that hate crime will not be tolerated and that offenders will be brought to justice.

"We also thank the members of the public who came forward with information, whose support was instrumental in identifying the offender."