Caught On Camera: UK Man Releases Rats Outside Sheffield Mosque, Shouts Racist Remarks
Edmund Fowler, 66, released rats outside Sheffield Grand Mosque in a series of hate crimes, causing shock and distress among worshippers.
A UK man was seen releasing caged rats outside a mosque in a premeditated series of hate crimes described by magistrates as 'disgusting" and 'highly dehumanising" in CCTV footage played in court. In the video, Edmund Fowler, 66, was seen lifting a cage from the boot of his car and freeing the animals onto the pavement outside Sheffield Grand Mosque on four separate occasions between May and June.
The video also captured Edmund Fowler shouting racist insults at worshippers entering the mosque on Grimesthorpe Road. In additional mobile phone footage recorded by Edmund Fowler himself, he is heard saying to the rats, 'Guess where you're going," 'Say bye bye," and 'I'll point you in the right direction."
Edmund Fowler pleaded guilty at Sheffield Magistrates' court to four counts of racially aggravated harassment. Despite the shocking footage, he was not sent to prison but received an 18-week prison sentence and was banned from going near any mosque or certain areas of Sheffield for the same duration.
The court heard that Edmund Fowler's actions had caused widespread 'upset and shock" as the manager of Sheffield Grand Mosque said in a statement, '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."
Chair of the bench, Suzanne Irish-Deverill, said she was 'disgusted" by the footage, adding, 'Your crimes were pre-planned on multiple occasions. 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."
The court was told that Edmund Fowler may have suffered a mental breakdown linked to the stress of caring for his wife, who has breast cancer. However, no motive was provided by Edmund Fowler, who acknowledged that his behaviour was 'appalling."
Iman Atta, director of the anti-hate crime charity Tell Mama, called the acts 'highly dehumanising", saying, 'This specific targeting of a mosque and the release of rats in itself is highly dehumanizing. 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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First Published:
July 17, 2025, 21:07 IST
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