A police dog handler was taken to hospital after Anthony Chieke, 56, reversed his car into them
A 42-year-old Westminster man stole £1,000 from a Reading mosque before reversing his car into a police officer. Anthony Chieke, 56, winced in his custody photo after being tracked down by police in Slough on November 18 last year.
Three weeks earlier, at 9pm on October 21, he entered Abu Bakr Mosque on Oxford Road and smashed multiple donation boxes in the place of worship. During a nine-and-a-half-hour crime spree, Chieke then stole keys to access the CCTV before spraying the security cameras with white paint and damaging cables linked to the system’s hard drive.
Thames Valley Police later used this to locate his DNA. On November 18, 2024, officers were alerted after automatic number plate recognition technology found his car in Slough. During a pursuit, Chieke failed to stop but eventually turned into a dead end road, where he was then blocked in by two police vehicles.
Attempting to escape, Chieke reversed his car with the driver’s door open into a police vehicle. A dog handler was getting out of the car at the time, which led to them suffering injuries.
He was taken to hospital but has since been discharged. Chieke, who refused to attend his hearing at Reading Crown Court, was found guilty in his absence of two counts of burglary and one count each of criminal damage, dangerous driving and driving whilst disqualified at the same hearing. Chieke, of Mount Street, Westminster, was sentenced to four years in prison at the same court on Wednesday, October 8.
‘Some worshipers did not feel safe to return for weeks’
Investigating officer Detective Constable Daniel Hardwick said: “This was a burglary of a mosque that affected a whole community. Some days after the incident, the worshippers and attendees were incredibly anxious with some not feeling safe enough to return for weeks.
“The damage caused to the mosque and CCTV system was into the many thousands, and I’m pleased Mr Chieke has received a custodial sentence. He refused to engage throughout the entire judicial process. This includes refusing to engage during his police interview or refusing to attend court either in person or via live link from prison. I hope the attendees of the mosque can now move on and feel safe in their place of worship.”
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