Two teenagers have been arrested after a Jewish woman was violently attacked and robbed in Stamford Hill at approximately 4.30 pm on Thursday, December 7. The 20-year-old victim was approached by two girls in Rostrevor Avenue who reportedly attacked her, and robbed her bag.
The victim suffered bruising and while she didn’t need hospital treatment, she was extremely shaken by the incident. CCTV Footage which allegedly showed the attack was circulated widely on social media as detectives worked with schools to identify the assailants.
At around noon on Saturday, December 9, officers went to an address in Haringey where they arrested two girls aged 13 and 14 on suspicion of robbery. They remain in custody.
Detective Sergeant Asli Benson, who conducted the investigation, said that this was a terrifying incident for the young woman who was attacked. That they would continue to ensure she got the right support. That officers have been pursuing all available lines of enquiry since the incident and that the arrests were a very positive development.
It was said that the victim was from the orthodox Jewish community and that it would have been obvious from her appearance that she was Jewish. There has been significant concern that she was targeted for that reason and that in the current climate when fears and uncertainty in the wider Jewish community are heightened following the terror attacks in Israel and the subsequent rise in anti-Semitic hate crimes here in London, those concerns were entirely understandable.
It was said that the police were keeping an open mind as to the motive behind the incident and would continue to explore all avenues, but that they were treating this as a possible hate crime.
Officers continue to appeal for anyone with information about the incident to call 101 providing the reference CAD 5505/07Dec. Information could also be shared with the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, by phoning 0800 555 111.
The police should be putting in a lot of effort because street criminality occurs all the time in London and we need to feel that we are safe. It doesn’t matter what religion a person is, these things happen and we shouldn’t be afraid to go out onto our streets.
The good news is that these two teenage girls have been apprehended and I hope that the woman who was attacked and robbed will be okay.
Whether this was to do with religion or not, they were obviously after her bag. They saw a vulnerable woman in the street and decided it would be entertaining to attack and rob this poor woman, but because of their age, they will get a slap on the wrist and be told not to do it again, until the next time they do something more serious.
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