Youth accused of setting fire to mosque (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Youth accused of setting fire to mosque

A TEENAGER who is accused of setting fire to a Swindon mosque has been remanded in custody by a judge.

The 16-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is also accused of criminal damage relating to racist graffiti.

Judge Tom Longbotham, sitting at Swindon Crown Court, was told that the most serious of the charges was arson being reckless as whether life was endangered.

The allegation relates to a fire being started at the Jamia Mosque on Broad Street on Tuesday October 4 the day after the start of Ramadan.

The youth, who is from Park North, is also accused of daubing the Sikh Temple in Kembrey Street with a swastika and racist language between September 20 and 23.

He is also accused of doing a similar thing to the Broad Street mosque on September 21.

The fourth allegation against him relates to racially aggravated criminal damage to the mosque on October 4.

No charges were put to the boy during the brief hearing and no pleas entered.

Wearing an open neck white shirt in the dock the youth spoke only to confirm his name.

He was remanded in custody to Friday December 2 when he is expected to enter pleas to the charges of arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered and three counts of criminal damage.