A remorseless antisemite who said 'it would be good if we blew up' a Jewish school has been jailed after admitting religiously aggravated threatening behaviour.
The Offences
Tavius Jean-Charles, 35, also shouted 'Jew, I'm going to kill you' at a synagogue manager during a six-month-long antisemitic hate campaign. He was handed a five-year prison sentence after pleading guilty last month to eight offences against six victims of religiously aggravated threatening behaviour and religiously aggravated criminal damage between October 2025 and March 2026, as well as drugs offences.
Judge's Remarks
Judge Dafna Spiro, sentencing him at Southwark Crown Court, said: 'Your behaviour amounted to a sustained and deliberate campaign of antisemitic behaviour carried out over a number of months. You repeatedly targeted individuals who were visibly Jewish in the street and outside a synagogue.' She added: 'There has been no expression of remorse and no mitigation whatsoever addressing the religiously motivated nature of your conduct.'
Restraining Order
Jean-Charles was also handed a restraining order banning him from entering the Stamford Hill, north London, area and contacting the victims.
Community Reaction
A spokesman for Shomrim, the Jewish security group, said: 'Stamford Hill’s Orthodox Jewish community can sleep easier with this extremely unpleasant character off our streets.'
Details of the Campaign
The court had heard that on March 16 at 1.45pm while outside Belz Synagogue in Stamford Hill, Jean-Charles shouted: 'Oi, I'm gonna kill you, not just you, all of you f****** Jews' at the synagogue's manager Barry Bard and his son. Around 30 minutes later, Joel Scher, who describes his appearance as 'orthodox Jewish' and was wearing a black kippah with hair styled in payots, heard Jean-Charles shout 'I will kill you Jews' as he drove past him along Heathland Road. Jean-Charles then threw a stone, smashing the Toyota Estima's passenger window and causing £205 worth of damage.
Prosecutor Sam Lyon said Jean-Charles was heard by George Stamatakis on Dunsmere Road on March 24 saying on his phone: 'It would be good if we blew up one of their schools.' The court was told Mr Stamatakis believed Jean-Charles was referring to a Jewish school, and Jean-Charles then asked him: 'Are you Jewish?'
On November 24 last year, Barry Bard's nephew David Bard was stood by his car outside the Belz Synagogue, and Jean-Charles demanded to know his personal details, including his address. Mr Bard replied he was not obliged to do so. The court heard Jean-Charles then said: 'What do you mean you're not obliged. Do you want to lose your life? Do you want to lose your life? No. Then leave now.'
Barry Bard attended Belz Synagogue on November 26 and noticed Jean-Charles loitering outside and taking photographs at 11.10pm. Jean-Charles then shouted across the road 'Jew, I'm going to kill you'. Barry Bard said the incident 'made him feel petrified' as it happened at his place of work. In an impact statement, the synagogue manager described Jean-Charles as a 'danger to society', adding that some of his congregation are 'terrified for their lives'.
On December 18, Jean-Charles told Shloime Bard that 'your people have called police on my address, so I will come and bash your door down'. Mr Lyon said Shloime Bard believed he was targeted 'due to his visibly Jewish appearance'. In a victim personal impact statement, David Bard said Jean-Charles was 'hateful' and that he 'remembered every single word'.
Defence and Police Response
Mitigating for Jean-Charles, Mercedes Pascal said the defendant had developed PTSD after being the victim of a shooting in 2024. Following sentence, Metropolitan Police Detective Chief Superintendent Brittany Clarke said: 'Jean-Charles told detectives when he was interviewed that he didn't have any negative feelings towards Jewish people. The evidence shows otherwise and I'm pleased my officers have been able to bring him to justice. There is no place for hate in the capital.'
Broader Context
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley previously said 300 extra police officers were needed across London as he warned of a growing 'pandemic' of antisemitism. Earlier this month the force announced a dedicated team of 100 additional officers to protect London's Jewish communities.
Sentencing Details
Jean-Charles was sentenced on Friday for four offences between October and December 2025 of religiously aggravated threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour with intent to cause victims to believe immediate violence would be used against them, or to provoke such violence. This is in addition to three offences in March 2026 of religiously aggravated threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour causing harassment, alarm or distress and one offence of religiously aggravated criminal damage of a vehicle. Jean-Charles was also sentenced for possession of crack cocaine with intent to supply on June 29, 2024 and possession of cannabis on August 3, 2024. He was sentenced to two-and-a-half years for the religiously aggravated offences and the same amount for the drug offences.
