A man accused of attacking two strictly orthodox Jewish shopkeepers in Stamford Hill earlier this year has been ruled 'unfit to enter a plea' as his lawyers claim he is suffering from a psychotic mental illness.
Malachi Thorpe, who is charged with attacking two Jewish men and leaving one requiring hospital treatment, was arrested after widely circulated CCTV footage of the attack was posted on social media.
A man has been arrested in Haringey after assaulting two Jewish men in Stamford Hill pic.twitter.com/zl28zn50rG
— The Jewish Chronicle (@JewishChron) January 27, 2022
He was charged with two counts of racially aggravated assault causing actual bodily harm and one count of possession of an offensive weapon in late January.
Israel Grossman and Erwin Ginsberg, the two victims in the attack, were set upon while closing their shop in Stamford Hill.
Mr. Thorpe, 18, is currently being held in custody and will be transferred to Chase Farm hospital for mental health treatment.
One of Thorpe's lawyers in a hearing last week said he did not dispute that his client assaulted the two men but asked the court to consider the racially motivated part of his ABH charge.
Thorpe will undergo an assessment by a mental health doctor and will then have a case management hearing where he will be given another opportunity to enter a plea in the charges against him.
