Man charged with hate crimes directed at interracial Newmarket couple

Racist graffiti at a Newmarket home. CITYNEWS.

York Regional Police have charged a Bradford man in connection with hate crimes directed at an interracial couple in Newmarket.

Anthony Burke, 63, is facing two counts of mischief, and one count each of utter threats and criminal harassment.  He was released and will appear in court on March 13.

Police were called to the home of Rita Brown and Seun Oyinsan on four separate occasions after reports of vandalism and threats between September 2011 and January 2012. The victims' home and vehicles were damaged three times during that span.

In a release Tuesday, police said Burke had a previous relationship with Brown.

CityNews spoke to the rattled couple after they woke up on Christmas morning to find someone had scrawled the words "N****r, N****r," on their car. 

Swastikas were also spray painted on their vehicles, and nails were placed under the tires.

At the time, Brown said they were living in fear and were contemplating moving.

"We make sure our doors are locked," she said. "I don't sleep. We are up all hours of the night, it's not a way to live, we can't live like this."