Children and babies' graves among up to 85 damaged in ‘Islamophobic hate crime' at Watford cemetery
Children and babies' graves are among up to 85 desecrated at a cemetery in what the council has branded an ' Islamophobic hate crime '.
Muslim burial sites were ripped out of the ground or destroyed in Carpenders Park Lawn cemetery in Watford on Saturday, sparking grief and outrage from families and the local community.
All of the graves vandalised were in a section reserved for Muslim burials, police said as they investigate. No arrests have been made so far.
A grieving family made the distressing discovery when they went to a visit to the Hertfordshire cemetery after burying their loved one.
A spokesperson for Wadi Funeralcare said some graves were subjected to 'unspeakable acts of disrespect'.
He told The Independent: 'Their pain and anguish was deeply felt by all of us.
'We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the many individuals and organisations who responded swiftly and stood in solidarity with the affected families and our wider community.'
He added: 'This incident has deeply shaken our community, but the swift response and shared outrage remind us of the strength we have when we stand together.'
Cllr Muhammed Butt, Leader of Brent Council, urged anyone with information to contact police said his thoughts were with the families of those whose graves were desecrated. 'I cannot imagine how they must be feeling at this moment,' he said.
'It looks as though Muslim graves have been targeted in what appears to be an Islamophobic hate crime,' he said. 'There is absolutely no place for hate or discrimination of any kind anywhere, but particularly in London – a city where everyone is welcome and our diversity is one of our greatest strengths.'
Mr Butt said the council would reinstate the damaged name plaques 'and return Carpenders Park Lawn cemetery to a peaceful, quiet place of remembrance as quickly as possible, once the Police have finished their investigation.'
A Hertfordshire Police spokesman said that officers were on the site to continue their investigations.
Chief Superintendent Jon Simpson, from the Local Policing Command, said: 'This is an abhorrent incident and one that will understandably spark an emotive reaction in the community.
'We are continuing to work closely with our local community leaders and our partners at Brent Council, which owns the site, to identify those families who have been affected but we appreciate that this will take some time.
'At this stage, we are keeping an open mind as to the nature of this incident and in the coming days we will continue to engage with our Muslim communities to provide support and reassurance.
'We're also working with specialist officers in the constabulary to ensure we remain sensitive and respectful to the needs of the communities involved.'
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North Wales Chronicle
19 hours ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Terrorist who attacked officers outside police station jailed for life
Alexander Dighton, 28, knocked one officer unconscious and stabbed another in the leg when he launched an attack on Talbot Green Police Station in Rhondda Cynon Taf on January 31. In a police interview after the attack, Dighton, of Pontyclun, said he did not consider the scope of damage, 'merely that blood had to be spilt'. The court heard Dighton held racist and anti-Muslim views, with the judge saying the offences had a 'terrorist connection'. Dighton also told officers he had kept a sharpened shovel to attack the police if they came to his home. Judge Mark Lucraft KC, the Record of London, sentenced Dighton to life imprisonment and ordered him to serve a minimum of 22 years at the Old Bailey on Friday. Dighton, who represented himself in court, showed no emotion as he was sentenced. It was revealed during the hearing that Dighton had been referred to the anti-terrorism Prevent programme in January 2024 by his sister, who said her brother holds racist and anti-Muslim views, and is likely to be involved with incel groups. Despite the referral, Dighton's Prevent case was closed after three weeks when it was decided he did not meet the criteria to be included on the scheme. The judge said: 'It is clear that you continue to hold entrenched views. 'Other than the early guilty pleas, there is little else to be said to your credit.' He said since Dighton's arrest, there had been a 'close investigation' into his activities. 'Of particular significance is a report to Prevent on the basis of the racist and anti-Muslim views you hold and the likelihood of being involved with incel groups,' he said. 'I note too various online activity that which shows an increasing fixation on issues such as diversity, paedophilia, immigration, anti-Islamic sentiments and dissatisfaction with the British Government.' The incel movement – short for involuntary celibate – involves people who find themselves unsuccessful in relationships, often harbouring extreme and misogynistic views. The judge said the officers, who were all experienced and deserved commendation, were 'deeply shocked by the nature and ferocity' of the attack. 'Some thought they were going to die as a result of what you had with you and what you were doing. 'Many speak of the anxiety, worry and sleepless nights for them and their families that have followed.' Dighton arrived at the police station shortly before 7pm, where he lit a petrol bomb and threw it at a police van. When that failed to ignite, he attempted to start a fire by pouring lighter fluid over the van before smashing the windows of two vehicles using a pole. When confronted by officers, Dighton said 'I'm fed up, I'm done', before launching his attack. Attempts to restrain him using a Taser were unsuccessful because he was wearing body armour. He swung a pole at one officer, punched one in the head and stabbed another in the thigh, narrowly missing his femoral artery. Two of the three injured officers were taken to hospital for treatment. The court also heard Dighton had recently been involved in an altercation with his neighbour, during which he used a homophobic slur. A week before the incident, he had received a letter from the police telling him to attend a station to provide biometric samples in relation to the alleged public order offence. In a police interview after the attack on the police station, Dighton said that he expected officers to go to his home to attempt to arrest him for not providing a sample. Prosecutor Nicholas Hearn said: 'He intended to attack the police officers who attended with a shovel, which he had sharpened for that purpose, and that his intention at that time was to kill any police officers who attended. 'No officers in fact attended the defendant's address.' During the interview, he also said his intention was to let it be known that 'his tolerance for the Government had come to an end' by causing as much damage as possible. Mr Hearn said: '(Dighton) said that he had 'teetered' as to whether he wanted to kill someone and had not been 'fully decided'.' The court heard that the defendant is neurodiverse and was diagnosed with a mood disorder, which may make him susceptible to the influence of others. He spent a great deal of time online and in had a particular fascination with the video game Warhammer 40K, making reference in his diary to a character from the long-running series, called Vulkan. He said: 'So with contempt as my armour, faith my shield and hatred my sword, let me be the emperor's wrath. For Vulkan, for the Emperor.' Dighton, representing himself in court, spoke about violence being 'justified' against the state. He referred to grooming gangs and 'Boris Johnson having parties while the country is locked down' during the Covid-19 pandemic. The defendant added: 'People have such a short memory, it is terrible. 'I will be dead before I leave prison anyway, so that doesn't bother me.' Dighton previously admitted 10 charges relating to the incident, including attempting to murder Detective Constable Jack Cotton and attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent to Sergeant Richard Coleman. He also admitted assaulting Pc Joshua Emlyn and threatening Pc Stephanie Fleming with an adapted wooden pole. Dighton will be subject to terrorist notification requirements for 30 years. Speaking after the case, Frank Ferguson of the Crown Prosecution Service said Dighton wanted to attack the Government and the state. 'We were able to show that Dighton's attack was not only pre-meditated and meticulously planned, but that his motivations were connected to terrorism,' he said. 'While it is not a criminal offence to hold extreme or offensive views, it is one to carry out attempted murder and attack police officers because of them.' Chief Superintendent Stephen Jones, of South Wales Police, paid tribute to the 'bravery and professionalism' of the officers at the scene. 'Each officer is not just a public servant but also a husband, wife, or parent, and their families are undoubtedly deeply affected by incidents such as these that officers face daily,' he said. 'I want to also recognise the detectives' unwavering commitment throughout the investigation which is also commendable.'
Wales Online
21 hours ago
- Wales Online
Counter-terror police assessed Alexander Dighton a year before attack and found 'no cause for concern'
Counter-terror police assessed Alexander Dighton a year before attack and found 'no cause for concern' Alexander Dighton had been referred to the anti-terrorism programme Prevent in January 2024 Shattered glass can be seen on the ground outside the station (Image: Mark Lewis ) An anti-Islam terrorist had been reported to authorities a year before he attacked officers with Molotov cocktails and a hatchet outside a Welsh police station. Police have now defended the checks that were carried out into Alexander Dighton, 28, who has been jailed for life and ordered to serve a minimum of 22 years in prison. He knocked one officer unconscious and stabbed another in the leg when he launched an attack on Talbot Green Police Station in Rhondda Cynon Taf on January 31. In a police interview after the attack, Dighton, of Pontyclun, said he did not consider the scope of damage, 'merely that blood had to be spilt'. Don't miss a court report by signing up to our crime newsletter here He previously admitted 10 charges relating to the incident, including attempting to murder Detective Constable Jack Cotton and attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent to Sergeant Richard Coleman. Dighton also admitted assaulting PC Joshua Emlyn and threatening PC Stephanie Fleming with an adapted wooden pole. Judge Mark Lucraft KC sentenced Dighton, who had been referred to the anti-terrorism programme Prevent in January 2024, to life imprisonment and ordered him to serve a minimum of 22 years. Article continues below Alexander Stephen Dighton (Image: South Wales Police ) The judge told the defendant, who represented himself in court, that the offences had 'a terrorist connection'. He said: 'It is clear that you continue to hold entrenched views. Other than the early guilty pleas, there is little else to be said to your credit.' The judge said the police officers that encountered Dighton were experienced. He added: 'Whilst they accept potential violence and difficult confrontations are part of the role of being a police officer, they were all deeply shocked by the nature and ferocity of your attack.' Prosecuting, Nicholas Hearn described how Dighton's sister had reported him to Prevent due to concerns he held 'racist and anti-Muslim views' and was likely to be involved with incel groups. You can read more here about family concerns. The incel movement is made up of people who find themselves unsuccessful in relationships, often harbouring extreme and misogynistic views. Detective Superintendent Andrew Williams, who led the investigation, said it was clear that Dighton was motivated by strong anti-Government, anti-immigration, anti-Islam views and that he acted to "undermine democracy". He confirmed that Dighton was referred to counter terrorism programme Prevent a year before the attack but after three weeks of assessments, including interviews with Dighton, it was concluded that he was not high enough risk to be included. Defending that decision DS Williams said there was no indication he would launch a violent attack on officers. Detective Superintendent Andrew Williams from South Wales Police led the investigation (Image: WalesOnline ) He said it was hard to predict what people will do, despite rigorous checks: "It is very difficult to speculate on what radicalised him. We can say that Alex Dighton was a lonely individual who lived by himself and had challenges with his health. "He spent a lot of time on gaming channels. He identified with (the game) Warhammer and identified with characters from that game. Lots of misinformation goes online. "Over the past few years counter terrorism policing has processed 30,000 referrals to Prevent. Every year there are 20,000 referrals from the public into suspected terrorist action. So there has got to be a prioritisation of referrals. "These are highly trained and dedicated officers (doing referrals and prioritising) and in January 2024 they undertook extensive checks on Alex Dighton." He added: "Prevent has intervened successfully but behaviour is often unpredictable. Nothing predicted what he was going to go on to do. "It is easy to have hindsight but the information at the time was no cause for concern. Alex Dighton said in interviews that he only formulated his plan to attack one month before." Describing events that night he said: "Alex Dighton left home for a police station with the clear intent to cause as much damage and injury to others as he could. He had a lock knife, metal hatchet, wooden pole with sharp metal plates which he said he had sharpened with the intent to harm police. "I need to be clear - the courage of officers cannot be overstated. One of the officers attempted to subdue him by taser but that was ineffective as he was wearing body armour. Another officer was struck across the head with a pole. "When the officers took him to the ground he reached behind and pulled out his lock knife and stabbed an officer in the thigh narrowly missing his femoral artery. "Our investigation showed Dighton was motivated by a strong anti-state, anti-government , anti-Islam and anti-immigration mindset. "He acted to undermine our democracy. Alex Dighton was known to us. He was referred to Prevent in January 2024 - 12 months earlier. He was referred on the basis of expressing anti immigration and anti-Islam views as well as views on incel, the celibacy movement. "Police from Counter Terrorism Wales did a detailed assessment which included interviewing Alex Dighton at length. That assessment took three week. "After that the conclusion was he did not meet the criteria to be included on the Prevent programme. "Nothing in that assessment suggested he would go on to commit such an attack. The three week assessment included checks on local systems, partners, lengthy interview and we asked him what he was looking at and who he was associating with. "He later said he decided to do the attack a month before he did it." On the night of the attack, Dighton arrived at the police station shortly before 7pm, where he lit a petrol bomb and threw it at a police van. When that failed to ignite, he attempted to start a fire by pouring lighter fluid over the van before smashing the windows of two vehicles using a pole. When confronted by officers, Dighton said 'I'm fed up, I'm done', before launching his attack. Attempts to restrain him using a Taser were unsuccessful because of the body armour he was wearing. He swung a pole at one officer, punched one in the head and stabbed another in the thigh, narrowly missing his femoral artery. Two of the three injured officers were taken to hospital for treatment. Speaking after the case, Frank Ferguson of the Crown Prosecution Service said Dighton wanted to attack the Government and the state. 'We were able to show that Dighton's attack was not only pre-meditated and meticulously planned, but that his motivations were connected to terrorism,' he said. 'While it is not a criminal offence to hold extreme or offensive views, it is one to carry out attempted murder and attack police officers because of them.' Chief Superintendent Stephen Jones, of South Wales Police, paid tribute to the 'bravery and professionalism' of the officers at the scene. Article continues below 'Each officer is not just a public servant but also a husband, wife, or parent, and their families are undoubtedly deeply affected by incidents such as these that officers face daily,' he said. 'I want to also recognise the detectives' unwavering commitment throughout the investigation which is also commendable.'
Rhyl Journal
21 hours ago
- Rhyl Journal
Terrorist who attacked officers outside police station jailed for life
Alexander Dighton, 28, knocked one officer unconscious and stabbed another in the leg when he launched an attack on Talbot Green Police Station in Rhondda Cynon Taf on January 31. In a police interview after the attack, Dighton, of Pontyclun, said he did not consider the scope of damage, 'merely that blood had to be spilt'. The court heard Dighton held racist and anti-Muslim views, with the judge saying the offences had a 'terrorist connection'. Dighton also told officers he had kept a sharpened shovel to attack the police if they came to his home. Judge Mark Lucraft KC, the Record of London, sentenced Dighton to life imprisonment and ordered him to serve a minimum of 22 years at the Old Bailey on Friday. Dighton, who represented himself in court, showed no emotion as he was sentenced. It was revealed during the hearing that Dighton had been referred to the anti-terrorism Prevent programme in January 2024 by his sister, who said her brother holds racist and anti-Muslim views, and is likely to be involved with incel groups. Despite the referral, Dighton's Prevent case was closed after three weeks when it was decided he did not meet the criteria to be included on the scheme. The judge said: 'It is clear that you continue to hold entrenched views. 'Other than the early guilty pleas, there is little else to be said to your credit.' He said since Dighton's arrest, there had been a 'close investigation' into his activities. 'Of particular significance is a report to Prevent on the basis of the racist and anti-Muslim views you hold and the likelihood of being involved with incel groups,' he said. 'I note too various online activity that which shows an increasing fixation on issues such as diversity, paedophilia, immigration, anti-Islamic sentiments and dissatisfaction with the British Government.' The incel movement – short for involuntary celibate – involves people who find themselves unsuccessful in relationships, often harbouring extreme and misogynistic views. The judge said the officers, who were all experienced and deserved commendation, were 'deeply shocked by the nature and ferocity' of the attack. 'Some thought they were going to die as a result of what you had with you and what you were doing. 'Many speak of the anxiety, worry and sleepless nights for them and their families that have followed.' Dighton arrived at the police station shortly before 7pm, where he lit a petrol bomb and threw it at a police van. When that failed to ignite, he attempted to start a fire by pouring lighter fluid over the van before smashing the windows of two vehicles using a pole. When confronted by officers, Dighton said 'I'm fed up, I'm done', before launching his attack. Attempts to restrain him using a Taser were unsuccessful because he was wearing body armour. He swung a pole at one officer, punched one in the head and stabbed another in the thigh, narrowly missing his femoral artery. Two of the three injured officers were taken to hospital for treatment. The court also heard Dighton had recently been involved in an altercation with his neighbour, during which he used a homophobic slur. A week before the incident, he had received a letter from the police telling him to attend a station to provide biometric samples in relation to the alleged public order offence. In a police interview after the attack on the police station, Dighton said that he expected officers to go to his home to attempt to arrest him for not providing a sample. Prosecutor Nicholas Hearn said: 'He intended to attack the police officers who attended with a shovel, which he had sharpened for that purpose, and that his intention at that time was to kill any police officers who attended. 'No officers in fact attended the defendant's address.' During the interview, he also said his intention was to let it be known that 'his tolerance for the Government had come to an end' by causing as much damage as possible. Mr Hearn said: '(Dighton) said that he had 'teetered' as to whether he wanted to kill someone and had not been 'fully decided'.' The court heard that the defendant is neurodiverse and was diagnosed with a mood disorder, which may make him susceptible to the influence of others. He spent a great deal of time online and in had a particular fascination with the video game Warhammer 40K, making reference in his diary to a character from the long-running series, called Vulkan. He said: 'So with contempt as my armour, faith my shield and hatred my sword, let me be the emperor's wrath. For Vulkan, for the Emperor.' Dighton, representing himself in court, spoke about violence being 'justified' against the state. He referred to grooming gangs and 'Boris Johnson having parties while the country is locked down' during the Covid-19 pandemic. The defendant added: 'People have such a short memory, it is terrible. 'I will be dead before I leave prison anyway, so that doesn't bother me.' Dighton previously admitted 10 charges relating to the incident, including attempting to murder Detective Constable Jack Cotton and attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent to Sergeant Richard Coleman. He also admitted assaulting Pc Joshua Emlyn and threatening Pc Stephanie Fleming with an adapted wooden pole. Dighton will be subject to terrorist notification requirements for 30 years. Speaking after the case, Frank Ferguson of the Crown Prosecution Service said Dighton wanted to attack the Government and the state. 'We were able to show that Dighton's attack was not only pre-meditated and meticulously planned, but that his motivations were connected to terrorism,' he said. 'While it is not a criminal offence to hold extreme or offensive views, it is one to carry out attempted murder and attack police officers because of them.' Chief Superintendent Stephen Jones, of South Wales Police, paid tribute to the 'bravery and professionalism' of the officers at the scene. 'Each officer is not just a public servant but also a husband, wife, or parent, and their families are undoubtedly deeply affected by incidents such as these that officers face daily,' he said. 'I want to also recognise the detectives' unwavering commitment throughout the investigation which is also commendable.'
