According to local media reports, 66-year-old Edmund Fowler placed mouse-filled cages outside Sheffield Grand Mosque on four occasions between May and June. Surveillance footage showed Fowler removing the cages from his car's trunk and leaving them at the mosque's entrance on Grimesthorpe Road, after which the mice scattered across the area.
Appearing before the Sheffield Magistrates' Court, Fowler admitted to charges of racially motivated harassment.
In addition to the suspended sentence, the court also banned Fowler from approaching any mosque for 18 months.
Presiding Judge Suzanne Irish-Deverill told Fowler she found the footage "disgusting" and said his actions were "premeditated on multiple occasions." She added, "You even had the audacity to film yourself. This had a significant impact, causing shock and distress."
A mosque official, who asked not to be named, stated, "People coming to the mosque are now afraid of further harassment and are scared to attend."
