Man charged after grafitti sprayed at a Watford mosque
The 26 year old has been remanded in custody
Last updated 8th Oct 2025
A man has been charged and remanded in custody after a Watford Mosque was defaced with graffiti.
Danny Manning, aged 26, from Watford, has been charged with:
· Religiously aggravated criminal damage (one count)
· Possession of a knife/bladed article (two counts)
· Possession of an offensive weapon (one count)
The first charge relates to an incident on Wednesday 1 October, when religiously aggravated graffiti was spray-painted onto the perimeter fencing around the former St Thomas’ Church on Langley Road. The building is currently being renovated into a Mosque.
Subsequent searches were carried out and officers seized both an axe and a Stanley-type knife from a vehicle in Watford. A Samurai sword was also recovered.
Manning appeared at Hatfield Remand Court on Tuesday 7th October and was remanded in custody. He is scheduled to appear in court again on Tuesday 4th November.
Police are continuing to investigate both the attack on the former St Thomas’ Church, along with two further reports of criminal damage at Mosques in Watford.
The second incident happened at the Imam Hussein Foundation Centre on North Approach, overnight between Saturday 4th October and Sunday 5th October.
The third incident, at North Watford Jamia Mosque on North Western Avenue, happened in the early hours of Sunday 5th October.
MP for Watford, Matt Turmaine has reacted to the incident. On his X account, formerly Twitter, he posted a statement saying "Watford is a diverse, tolerant and repectful town... there is no place for hate crime here."
Detective Inspector Chris Parperi, from Watford’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID), said: “We are pleased to have secured a charge in relation to the attack on the former St Thomas’ Church on Langley Road, which we hope will provide some reassurance to the community. I want to reiterate to them that we’re continuing our enquiries into both this case, and the two further incidents which happened elsewhere in Watford, while we await Manning’s next court date.”
Inspector Simon Cooper, who leads Watford’s Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT), said: “News of these Islamophobic attacks on Muslim places of worship in our town will be understandably upsetting for the community, and we are doing all we can to support them at this time, with guidance from the Hertfordshire Black and Asian Police Association, and the Hertfordshire Association of Muslim Police.
“Yesterday, the Chief Inspector and I visited three Mosques to provide reassurance and an update on the police investigation, as well as listen to the concerns of worshippers. Later this week, a dedicated faith and community leaders meeting will enable our partners to discuss concerns and issues in an open and supportive environment.
“In the wake of the abhorrent attack in Manchester last week, additional patrols were deployed to Synagogues, Mosques and schools in Hertfordshire. We shall continue our increased patrols in the vicinity of all faith and community institutions, particularly during key times of worship. We are closely monitoring any emerging community tensions and will respond robustly to racially or religiously aggravated offending.”