Two men who were found guilty of smashing several windows at a Taunton mosque received fines for religiously aggravated criminal damage.
Ashley Oliver, 35, from the village of Bulford in Wiltshire and 35-year-old Alan Galloway, of East Reach in Taunton, were found guilty following the completion of the hate crime trial at Taunton Deane Magistrates’ Court last Friday (September 25).
Avon and Somerset Police launched a hate crime investigation in September last year following the smashing of several windows at Taunton Central Mosque and Islamic Centre, with one of the men surrendering to police days later.
At a previous hearing in February, both were remanded into custody, as Oliver, a month earlier, was deemed too drunk to enter a plea.
Both received fines of £180 and must cover related costs to the Crown Prosecution Service and pay a victim surcharge, alongside restraining orders that prevent them from going near the mosque for one year.