Imam attacked on way home from mosque in Burton

The Burton Mail and the Derby Telegraph draw attention to a violent assault on an imam in Burton last Thursday.  Imam Hafiz Ramzan was on his way home from the local mosque when he was attacked.

A Staffordshire Police spokesman confirmed that Imam Ramzan was approached outside his home by a man who engaged him in a brief conversation before violently assaulting him between 2pm and 2.30pm.

According to the Burton Mail, the attacker made threats before getting into a vehicle and fleeing the scene.

The victim, who was identified by the Burton Central Mosque Committee, suffered head and facial injuries including having two teeth being knocked out and a broken nose. He was taken to the Queen Elizabeth Medical Centre in Birmingham for treatment and was released the same day.

Burton Central Mosque Committee in a statement to the Burton Mail said: “Thursday was a deeply shocking day for the Burton Community.

“We do not know why this callous attack took place and are working with the police to bring the attacker to justice.”

Chief Inspector Steve Maskrey, commander of Burton Local Policing Team, speculated that that the incident appeared to be “an unprovoked violent attack”.

He added, “We will have high-visibility patrols in the area to offer reassurance to the community.”

Inspector Maskrey further confirmed that a police investigation had been launched to find the offender who has been described as Asian, tall, stocky, aged 35-45 years and wearing a black baseball cap.