Man charged with racially aggravated assault on Muslim woman who lost unborn twins

The mother-to-be did not know she was expecting children

Police were criticised for taking over a month to release CCTV images of the attacker (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

A man has been charged with racially aggravated assault after he allegedly kicked a pregnant Muslim woman in the stomach and caused her to lose her unborn twins.

David Gallacher, 37, is accused of assaulting the mum-to-be, who did not know she was expecting children, outside a Co-op store in Bletchley last August.

The unnamed woman, who is a mum-of-four, was forced to flee her home in fear as a result of the assault.

Mr Gallacher, of no fixed abode, also allegedly attacked a man who tried to intervene during the incident, Thames Valley Police said.

The female victim was taken to hospital where she was told she was carrying twins. Days later, doctors confirmed she was no longer pregnant.

Mr Gallacher will appear in front of magistrates in March charged with one count of assault causing actual bodily harm, one count of assault by beating, two counts of racially/religiously aggravated assault, and three counts of assaulting a police officer when he was arrested.

A spokesperson for Thames Valley Police said: “The charges relate to two incidents. The first was on Saturday 6 August 2016, when two victims, a 34-year-old woman and a 40-year-old man were assaulted and racially abused by a man near the Co-op on Water Eaton Road, Bletchley."

They added that the second incident on 14 September related to "when three police officers were assaulted as they arrested a man."

Mr Gallacher has been bailed to appear at Milton Keynes Magistrates' Court on 14 March.

Community leaders had earlier criticised the police’s response to the incident after officers took more than a month to release CCTV images of the attacker.

Within hours of the pictures being published, local people had named Mr Gallacher and reported him to police.

Defending the delay, the force said obtaining and viewing such footage can often take time.

The assault took place just yards from a mosque that was the subject a racist attack by far-right activists in 2013 after it was converted from a pub.

The building was firebombed the building and threw a pig’s head on the roof.