LEICESTER, UK—Six more men have been sentenced in relation to the disturbance at the Moghul Durbar restaurant, Leicester, in Janurary of 2013.
Six men have yesterday been sentenced at Leicester Crown Court in addition to the seven men jailed last year, bringing the total number of men sentenced in relation to the restaurant raid to 13.
The raid was a response to a perceived lack of police action in response to a grooming ring in Leicester. The restaurant, on East Park Road, was housing Muslims involved in the running of the grooming ring. Members of the grooming gang last year pleaded guilty to prostituting a “damaged and vulnerable” young Sikh girl.
The six men have been sentenced on grounds of conspiring to commit violent disorder. Each has been jailed for two years.
- Rajinder Singh Manak, 23, of Coventry, was sentenced to 25 months;
- Ishver Dhillon, 25, of Birmingham, was sentenced to 25 months;
- Parthakh Sunder, 26, of Birmingham, was sentenced to 27 months;
- Jatinder Singh Chohan, 24, of Coventry, was sentenced to 27 months;
- Gurpreet Palak, 25, of Birmingham, was sentenced to 25 months;
- Manveer Singh Tiwana, 25, was sentenced to 25 months.
Despite having no physical involvement in the event, the men have received lengthy sentences which surpass those given for more serious crimes.
Reports to Sikh24 last year suggested that police forces in the UK continued to pursue innocent Sikh men to save face in the community due to a lack of action.
Leading the investigation, Detective Inspector John Farndon said:
“There can never be an excuse to take the law into your own hands.
“Identifying the offenders was difficult because there were so many of them, they wore masks or had covered their faces, the restaurant was dimly lit, and the incident was over very quickly.
“In those circumstances we are very pleased that we managed to bring 13 to justice. That is a tribute to members of the public who provided us with information and the hard work of the investigating team.”
