Hate crime is on the rise in Kent, a new report has revealed.

Figures show that in 2018/19 there was a total of 361 hate crime prosecutions in the county, compared to 346 in 2017/18.

Of these 361 incidents, convictions took place in 303 cases, which equates to 83.9%.

These numbers have been revealed in the Crown Prosecution Service's (CPS) annual report on 'Hate Crime and Crimes Against Older People'.

The service found that overall more than eight in 10 people were convicted in hate crime cases in Kent, a percentage of 83.9%.

Hate crimes are where either hostility is demonstrated at the time of the offence or where the crime is motivated ‘wholly or partly’ by hostility based on perceived religion, race, sexual orientation or disability.

Offences can include assault, verbal abuse, online harassment or damage to property.

The report shows that the volume of homophobic and transphobic hate crime dealt with by prosecutors in Kent increased from 38 in 2017/18 to 62 in 2018/19.

The conviction rate for these crimes was 85.5%.

Disability hostility crime has also seen a rise, with 31 cases prosecuted in 2018/19, a 40% increase on the previous year.

Of these, 23 cases resulted in a successful conviction.

The number of prosecutions for racially and religious aggravated crime dropped slightly in 2018/19 to 268 cases, down from 289 the previous year.

And the number of successful convictions for crimes against older people dropped too. There were 119 cases dealt with in 2017/18 and 118 in 2018/19, but the conviction rate dropped from 85.7% to 78%.

Frank Ferguson from the CPS said: "Hate crimes are particularly appalling, because they target someone for who they are, be it their race, disability, sexuality, transgender identity or religion.

"They also spread fear within communities when they happen, which is why tackling hate crime is one of our priorities.

"Within Kent, Surrey and Sussex, almost nine in ten hate crime prosecutions result in convictions.

"These figures should help to give confidence to anyone who is a victim of a hate crime to come forward and report what has happened to them.

"In particular, we want to encourage anyone who is targeted because of their disability, as we know this often goes unreported, despite the increased levels of cases we’re seeing in Kent. In 2018/19, there were just 50 disability hate crime prosecutions across the whole of Kent, Surrey and Sussex.

"The feedback we hear from those who represent people with disabilities is that abuse, be it online, verbal or physical, is common and we are working closely with those groups and individuals to understand the barriers to reporting disability hate crime and how we can support victims who do come forward."

David Naylor from Victim Support spoke to KMTV recently about hate crime

The latest Home Office statistics support the findings of the CPS.

Kent Police recorded 4,395 hate crimes in 2018-19 - up 31% from the previous year.

More than two-thirds of reports in Kent related to race, while 14% featured hostility towards disability.

Defendants responsible for hate crimes can be given stiffer sentences by the court.

These aggravated sentences can range from extended prison terms to longer community punishments, depending on the crime.

During 2018-19, 71.2% of all hate crime convictions in Kent received such an increase in sentence.

Kent Police offers an online hate crime reporting service through their website. In addition, anyone who experiences or witnesses hate crime can report it using the True Vision website.

Read more: All the latest news from Kent

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