A young woman has been given a suspended prison sentence for spray-painting racist graffiti near a mosque and at other properties in the Maybury area of Woking, causing £3,000 of damage.
Georgina Gontar, 20, of Queen Elizabeth Way, Old Woking, pleaded guilty to a breach of an Asbo, four offences of racially aggravated criminal damage and two of causing criminal damage when she appeared at Guildford Magistrates’ Court last Wednesday (April 17).
The graffiti was daubed inside a shop at Lion Retail Park, on a wall in view of the Shah Jahan Mosque in Oriental Road and outside properties in Walton Road on November 12 last year.
For the Asbo breach and racially aggravated criminal damage, Gontar received a custodial sentence of 10 weeks, suspended for 12 months. For the criminal damage she received a custodial sentence of seven weeks, suspended for 12 months, to run concurrently with the first term.
During the 12-month period, Gontar has a supervisory order in place and she is required to participate in a diversity awareness and prejudice programme. The magistrates also ordered Gontar to pay compensation of £650 to the James Walker Group, £40 to Hobbycraft and £20 to Unit 18 Boundary Way at the hearing.
She was jointly charged with 19-year-old Laura Woodward of Byron Road, Addlestone. In March, Woodward admitted four counts of racially and religiously aggravated criminal damage and two of criminal damage and was sentenced to a 12-month community order plus 100 hours of unpaid work. She was also ordered to pay damages of £100 to the mosque and £400 for a damaged door at a private property.
Detective Constable Tony Maker said: “The magistrates acknowledged that this was a very serious incident with multiple scenes of damage. Gontar’s crime spree caused no end of misery and distress.”
Via ENGAGE
As noted in an earlier report, the graffiti included the name “Bin Laden” and the letters “EDL”.