After the Equality and Human Rights Commission 2011 report on disability hate crime, Hidden in Plain Sight, the government agreed to publish perpetrator analysis. Yet despite repeated requests it has not. So the Disability Hate Crime Network, a voluntary group campaigning against the crime, carried out a small, online survey of 100 disabled people last month to ask them more about the perpetrators of hate crimes. We asked about the gender, race and age of the attackers, location of the incident, whether the attacker acted alone or in a group, and about perceived motivation.

More than half of respondents (57%) said they were attacked on the street, and one-fifth on public transport. A quarter of incidents occurred at home. Other people were attacked in pubs and shops, with some mentioning social media. Perpetrators were overwhelmingly white.

Around half (49%) of all attacks were group based. Women were involved in most group attacks (men were more involved in lone attacks). One victim said they were: “Pushed from chair by women, verbally abused by both men and women. Usually older people.” Another reported: “Worst incident – an older white woman. Otherwise, mostly men.” Another said: “Young mother with child abused me in a shop car park.” In the Crown Prosecution Service Hate Crime Report 2013-214, women were convicted of 25% of disability hate crimes, but only between 13-15% of other forms of hate crime.

Motivation varied widely, but 11 out of 60 comments on the incidents said attackers mentioned “benefits” or “scroungers”. “I was verbally abused as a scrounger whilst shopping ... using a mobility scooter,” said one respondent. “I was asked why I use a wheelchair sometimes, but sticks on other days. I tried to explain my condition varies from day to day. I was then told I was just fat and lazy and was doing it to get benefits,” said another.

Jealousy of the perceived “perks” of disability, such as the adapted car, seemed to be a motivating factor in some attacks. Disabled people are also perceived as in the way. “On one occasion when I fell a man just stepped over me like I was vermin”, said a respondent. Another said: “There’s usually some kind of ‘useless’ part of the labelling..,a get out of the way, or why are you blocking everything up, or some such.” Space on buses came up as a common flashpoint: “The bus was quite full but a guy who had a pram wanted to sit with his partner and demanded I move. I said no and tried to explain my disability. He called me a ‘spas’ and a ‘mong’”.

The network has shared the research with the CPS and the EHRC. But a longer piece of detailed research is overdue. Why are so many women involved? Why so many group attacks? If we can understand the motivation, perhaps we can start to develop a prevention strategy to combat this crime.

A more detailed summary of the research can be found at katharinequarmby.wordpress.com