Disability hate crime: 'must be taken more seriously'.
Lord Ken MacDonald, former Director of Public Prosecutions, has argued that attacks on disabled people must be taken more seriously.
According to official statistics, there were 1,841 recorded incidents of disability hate crime in 2012/13, although only 349 cases resulted in convictions. Of this, only seven offenders were given an increased sentence with the victim’s disability being an aggravating factor.
A vast amount of disability hate crime still goes under-reported, however. The level of discrimination is believed to be much higher, with the Crime Survey England and Wales estimating that a staggering 62,000 people a year are targeted because of their disability.
Lord MacDonald highlights that there is an enormous amount of disability-related harassment taking place, and this can have a devastating effect on people’s lives. The names Stephen Hoskin, David Askew and Gemma Hayter may not be familiar, but their fate was common; they all suffered ongoing abuse because of difference and disability.
Any kind of discrimination is unacceptable and must be taken seriously. People have a right to live a life free from discrimination – whether it be disability, race, religion, gender identity or sexual orientation.
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