A man has admitted to striking a rabbi over the head with a brick outside a synagogue in Chigwell.
Rabbi Rafi Goodwin needed hospital treatment for head injuries after he was attacked on May 16 last year outside the Chigwell and Hainault Synagogue in Limes Avenue.
The assault sparked outcry within the Redbridge community.
Souraka Djabouri, 19, admitted grievous bodily harm without intent at Chelmsford Crown Court, a court official said.
The defendant, of Tudor Crescent in Fairlop, also admitted to theft and to religiously aggravated criminal damage during a hearing held today (Wednesday, July 6).
An earlier hearing was told that the rabbi's mobile phone was stolen and that his car was damaged.
The 32-year-old has since spoken of his determination not to hide away after the attack, explaining that he "made a point of coming back to synagogue two days later".
Prosecutors dropped charges against a second defendant from Fairlop, 26-year-old Abderrahman Brahimi, offering no evidence at an earlier hearing.
Djabouri is due to be sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court on August 4.
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