Two drunken Polish men who threw rashers of bacon at worshippers inside a mosque before shouting 'enjoy f***ers' as they fled the scene have been jailed.

Mateusz Pawlikowski, 22, and Piotr Czak-Zukowski, 28, targeted the Al-Rahman Mosque in Camden, north London, in the 'highly offensive' incident last month.

The men had been binge-drinking at Oktoberfest in Canary Wharf before travelling to the mosque where Pawlikowski approached one worshipper, swore at him, and threw a rasher of bacon towards him.

He then continued to throw further rashers on the floor of the prayer room before the pair fled at around 7.30pm on October 2 while shouting 'enjoy f***ers'.

Mateusz Pawlikowski, 22 (right), and Piotr Czak-Zukowski, 28 (left), targeted the Al-Rahman Mosque in Camden, north London, in the 'highly offensive' racist incident last month

After their descriptions were given to police, officers stopped Pawlikowski minutes from the mosque.

When questioned by police he said he had been out in Canary Wharf with a friend who was now in Camden Lock, where they subsequently found Czak-Zukowski.

On searching him officers found an empty bacon packet in his pocket, and both men were taken into custody.

The pair appeared at Blackfriars Crown Court yesterday, where they were both handed eight-month concurrent prison sentences for criminal damage and a racial, religious public order offence.

Prosecutor Carol Summers said the mosque's caretaker thought Pawlikowski and Czak-Zukowski were worshippers when they came in the front door on October 2.

She said: 'All of a sudden a man threw some meat in the caretaker's direction that turned out to be some bacon.

'The meat landed on the floor about two metres away from him and he said he could see immediately that it was a rasher.'

She continued: 'He later found out a third piece of bacon had been put in the shoe of a worshipper who was present during the incident.'

The caretaker at the mosque described the attack as a 'hate crime targeting the Muslim community.'

He added: 'I genuinely believed my life was in danger.'

The caretaker said although he has a 'strong character' he was left 'traumatised and crushed' by the incident.

The defendants showed a complete disregard for the faith and belief of others in this callous and highly offensive incident DC Tracey McMath

Czak-Zukowski and Pawlikowski were arrested near the scene and said they bought a packet of bacon at Tesco but could not remember going to the mosque.

Both men, who have no previous convictions admitted one charge of religiously aggravated harassment and one of religiously aggravated criminal damage last month.

The pair were remanded in custody 'for their own safety' but have both been attacked by Muslim prisoners in HMP Pentonville.

Philip Haworth, defending Czak-Zukowski, said his client has lost his job and his home after being jailed and is 'deeply remorseful'.

'All he can say is that he was drunk at Oktoberfest at the time, he knows that isn't a good enough excuse,' he said.

'There have been incidents already in Pentonville prison and so he has been given a taste of his own medicine.'

Ania Grudzinska, defending Pawlikowski, told the court he has 'well and truly learned his lesson' and is 'extremely remorseful'.

'There have some serious incidents which have occurred whilst he has been in custody,' she said.

'He has been assaulted on a number of occasions, family members have seen him with visual marks to his eye and blood-stained clothing.'

The men had been binge-drinking at Oktoberfest in Canary Wharf before travelling to the Al-Rahman Mosque (pictured) in Camden, north London, in the 'highly offensive' incident

Jailing the pair, Judge Peter Clarke QC told them: 'You know and you have acknowledged what an outrageous set of actions were committed on the 2 October,' he said.

'It seems to me that the religious aggravation in the offence is the offence itself.

'Obviously throwing that smoked meat in an ordinary public Christian place is a completely different context from that which you intended.

'The two of you were in drink which is no mitigation, you were merely doing what you thought of doing no doubt sober but found you could do more easily inebriated.

'You threw rashers of bacon indiscriminately around that very important place of worship to the local Muslims.'

He added: 'The courts have to attempt to protect all citizens of this country and this city from living in fear of violence and religious hatred.

DC Tracey McMath, from the Camden Community Safety Unit, said: 'The defendants showed a complete disregard for the faith and belief of others in this callous and highly offensive incident; and I hope their convictions highlight that we will not tolerate hate crime in any of its forms.

'I know this incident has had a significant impact on the community and commend the victims for speaking up.