A 13-YEAR-OLD boy has been arrested in connection with a series of suspected racist attacks in Bingham.
Police say the teenager, who was arrested on Friday, has been questioned in relation to five incidents – including one where a Muslim family had a cross wrapped in pork left outside their house on November 20.
He was also arrested on suspicion of two further incidents involving the same family – shouting racial abuse at a 32-year-old woman on December 3 and allegedly throwing a stone at their window on December 4.
Police have also questioned him about two attacks on restaurants in the town.
Racist graffiti was scrawled on the Singapore Pepper restaurant in Bingham Market Place on August 11, and bricks were thrown at the Balti Restaurant in the Market Place on October 31.
The boy has now been released on bail, pending further inquiries.
In a further incident, the same family had racist graffiti daubed on a pavement outside their house on Saturday morning.
No arrests have been made in connection with this incident.
The family who were allegedly targeted do not want to be named but the father, a 39-year-old who works at E.on, said: "One of the neighbours knocked on my door and showed me the graffiti – someone had spray-painted racist messages on the pavement."
The family used to live in West Bridgford but the mother and two boys, aged eight and 10, moved to Bingham at the beginning of November after the parents separated.
The father said: "My wife is scared for her life.
"I've had to move back in to protect her and make sure no one attacks the house."
A police spokesperson said: "Inquiries are ongoing and police continue to work with affected parties and residents to establish who is responsible.
"Increased patrols have been mounted to provide reassurance and officers have been conducting house-to-house inquiries and working very closely with the victims to ensure they are safe.
"Hate crime is completely unacceptable in any degree or form and Notts Police take any incidents of this nature incredibly seriously."
Anyone with information about the incidents should call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
