Man, 50, who ‘set fireplace to Koran out of doors Turkish consulate’ has price of ‘harassing’ Islam dropped

A person accused of burning a Koran has had a price of ‘harassing’ Islam dropped amid claims it was once making a blasphemy legislation by way of the again door.

Hamit Coskun, 50, allegedly set fireplace to the Muslim holy e-book out of doors the Turkish consulate, in west London, in February.

Two days later, he was once charged by way of the Crown Prosecution Service with ‘racially annoyed harassment’ of the Islam, fairly than any folks.

But fear was once raised by way of Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick, along side the National Secular Society, that the transfer was once making a ‘blasphemy legislation by way of the again door’, 18 years after Parliament abolished Britain’s ancient legislation towards offending religions.

On Thursday Mr Jenrick wrote to the CPS calling for it to check its choice – and the day prior to this it stated it had. The CPS insisted it was once ‘now not the case’ this was once ‘in accordance with Mr Jenrick’s letter’.

Mr Coskun, from Derby, remains to be charged with racially annoyed harassment over the bible burning.

But at his subsequent courtroom look, the wording is ready to be modified to allege that once burning the Koran, and shouting abuse, he was once ‘motivated by way of hostility in opposition to fans of Islam’, fairly than that he stressed the ‘establishment of Islam’ itself.

He denies the costs towards him. 

Mr Coskun seemed in courtroom with bandaged fingers

Mr Coskun denies all fees towards him. Pictured: a report picture of the Turkish Consulate on Belgrave Square in London

Mr Jenrick broke the scoop of the alternate the day prior to this afternoon on X, previously Twitter, by way of announcing: ‘The CPS have dropped the price of inflicting alarm to the ‘non secular establishment of Islam’.

‘This was once an invention that had no foundation in legislation. But the up to date charging choice remains to be relating to.

‘We should face up to makes an attempt to introduce blasphemy regulations by way of the again door.’

Mr Coskun is now being stated to have ‘brought about harassment, alarm or misery’ by way of maintaining the burning koran aloft whilst shouting ‘f*** Islam… Islam is a faith of terrorism’ and ‘Koran is burning’ whilst motivated by way of hostility to Muslims.

A CPS supply stated: ‘Blasphemy regulations don’t exist in England and Wales. All our instances are stored below evaluate, and we recognized it was once now not proper to refer within the fees to the ‘non secular establishment of Islam’.

‘It remains to be our case Mr Coskun dedicated a legal offence.’

A Crown Prosecution Service spokesman stated: ‘We charged Hamit Coskun at the foundation his movements brought about harassment, alarm or misery – which is a legal offence – and that this was once motivated by way of hostility in opposition to a spiritual or racial workforce.

‘As a part of our steady evaluate of ongoing instances we concluded the wording of the price was once incorrectly carried out and we now have substituted a brand new price to extra as it should be replicate the alleged offence.’