Hartshill men jailed for Hanley mosque arson attack

By Rochelle Owusu- Antwi: Two men have been found guilty of deliberately starting a fire at a Stoke-on-Trent mosque.

Simon Beech and Garreth Foster

Simon Beech, 23, and Garreth Foster, 29, both from Hartshill, Stoke-on-Trent, were convicted of arson following the incident at the mosque in Regent Road, Hanley, last December.

Both men denied charges of arson during the four-day trial at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court.

The men were sentenced to ten years each in prison today (December 8).

Local resident Iftikhar Siddique was directly affected by the attack and disruption of the mosque’s construction.

Mr Siddique said: “It was hard for myself and members of our community to see something we were looking forward to destroyed by careless thugs.

“At least now justice has been served. Their punishment isn’t going to undo the damage but it does help bring a sense of satisfaction.”