Man who released rats outside Sheffield mosque four times avoids prison
Edmund Fowler, 66, took wild rodents to Sheffield Grand Mosque on four separate occasions between May and June.
In CCTV footage captured outside the mosque he could be seen lifting a cage from the boot of his car before freeing the animals onto the pavement.
Mobile phone footage filmed by Fowler recorded him talking to the rats, saying "guess where you're going", "say bye bye" and "I'll point you in the right direction".
Fowler, of Skelwith Drive, Sheffield, pleaded guilty to four counts of racially aggravated harassment at Sheffield Magistrates' Court.
An anti-hate crime charity said the incident was "highly dehumanising".
Fowler was sentenced to 18 weeks in prison, suspended for 18 months, and banned from going near a mosque and to certain parts of the city for 18 months.
The CCTV footage played in court showed Fowler parking his Audi near the mosque on Grimesthorpe Road and shouting racist insults at people entering the building.
He had caused widespread "upset and shock" within the community, the court heard.
In a victim impact statement, the mosque manager said: "It is evident people using the mosque are Muslim.
"They are scared of further harassment and are now too scared to come to the mosque."
The court heard Fowler accepted his behaviour was "appalling" but gave no motive.
He may have had a mental breakdown as a result of the pressures of caring for his wife, who has breast cancer, the court was told.
Chair of the bench, Suzanne Irish-Deverill, told Fowler she was "disgusted" by the footage and that his crimes were "pre-planned on multiple occasions".
She added: "You also had the audacity to record it yourself. It has had significant impact and caused shock and distress.
"People are entitled to travel to a place of worship without being racially or religiously harassed - it is a hate crime."
Iman Atta, of the anti-hate crime charity Tell Mama, said it had recorded 20 incidents of Islamic buildings being targeted in the last six months.
She said: "This specific targeting of a mosque and the release of rats in itself is highly dehumanizing.
"It's highly stressful and distressing for communities. It's not just a targeting of an institution - it's the impact it has on the congregation... a congregation feeling that this is intentional harassment that they're going through on an ongoing basis."
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