Ibrahim Iqbal, 37, of no fixed abode but listed as living in Leeds, was found guilty of two counts of religiously aggravated criminal damage and one count of criminal damage.
The hearing took place at Leeds Magistrates’ Court today.
Iqbal defaced Qurans
Iqbal targeted a multi-faith room at St James’s Hospital in Leeds last November.
He went into The Faith Centre, which is located on Level 1 in the Bexley Wing and is open 24 hours a day to everyone, whatever their background, and smashed a framed Islamic scripture.
Iqbal also defaced multiple Qurans, tearing out pages of the Muslim holy book, setting them on fire and using them to block the sink and toilet.
Damaged caused by Iqbal at St James’s Hospital, Leeds on November 29, 2025 (Image: CPS)
Man returned to hospital
The 37-year-old returned to the hospital two weeks later, on December 9, and deliberately stuffed miscellaneous items down the drains to cause a blockage.
The following day, Iqbal attempted to access The Faith Centre again but found it locked due to the earlier damage.
He was detained by hospital security and subsequently arrested by West Yorkshire Police.
Iqbal wrote words ‘kill Jews’ in cell
Iqbal’s “deliberate and sustained campaign of hatred” continued while in custody.
He requested crayons and used them to daub antisemitic graffiti on his cell wall, writing the words “kill Jews”.
CCTV footage of Iqbal in St James’s Hospital on December 9 showed him walking around carrying a black bin liner that was later found at the scene of the offence.
Hospital staff also found the criminal damage just seven minutes after CCTV captured Iqbal leaving the room.
Prosecutors effectively demonstrated that the modus operandi – the method of operation – for the offence that had taken place the fortnight prior was almost identical, to secure his conviction for the previous racially aggravated offence.
‘Iqbal targeted both Muslim and Jewish communities’
Luke Hopkinson, Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS (Crown Prosecution Service) Yorkshire and Humberside, said: “Ibrahim Iqbal carried out a deliberate and sustained campaign of hatred, targeting both Muslim and Jewish communities with his actions.
“This comes at a time where our prosecutors are working on the highest ever number of hate crime cases referred to us by police.
“I hope today’s conviction demonstrates the CPS’s commitment to tackling religiously aggravated hate crime, and reiterates how we will always seek to prosecute those who target others because of their faith where their conduct strays into criminality.”
Iqbal is due to be sentenced on February 16 at Leeds Magistrates’ Court.