Mold teenager who abused Police Community Support Officer for being transgender has punishment increased

A man who abused a Police Community Support Officer for being transgender has received an uplifted sentence at Mold Magistrates’ Court.

Declan Armstrong, 19, was on Chester Street in Mold when he abused PCSO Connor Freel, 25, (pictured above) by shouting comments referring to the officer being transgender. 

The officer was on duty at the time and uniformed. 

At Court the prosecutor applied for the sentence for the public order offence to be uplifted to reflect the hate crime aspect.

Armstrong was put under a nightime curfew and ordered to pay £590 – including the £200 compensation to the officer.

Edward Marsh of the CPS said: “Comments deliberately targeting a person in this way have no place in modern society.

“The CPS takes any hate crime allegation extremely seriously and we will robustly prosecute cases that meet the Code for Crown Prosecutors.”

In 2018-2019, the CPS secured convictions in 84 per cent of the hate crime cases it prosecuted and, due to the severity of hate crime, the courts increased the sentences handed down in 74 per cent of these convictions.

Greg George, Head of Diversity at North Wales Police said: “The sentence reflects the importance of holding individuals to account when they commit hate crime.

“I hope the outcome demonstrates that we take these types of offences extremely seriously and always do everything in our power to bring offenders to justice.

“I would encourage anyone who has been subject to a similar ordeal to come forward and report it to the police.”