North Reading man convicted of attacking Muslim woman on the Orange Line

A Suffolk Superior Court judge yesterday convicted Sean Devlin, 35, of North Reading, for a 2017 incident on the Orange Line in which he screamed anti-Muslim slurs at a hijab-wearing woman returning home from a prayer service and then attacked her as she fled the train.

Today, the judge sentenced Devlin to two years in jail on his convictions for violating the victim’s constitutional rights, assault and battery for purpose of intimidation, assault and battery on a person over 60 and wanton destruction of property. But Judge Janet Sanders included the time he has already spent locked up after he was arrested at North Station, which means he could walk out of jail in four months.

Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins said she is considering appealing that sentence because he was behind bars during that time as punishment for unrelated convictions in Middlesex County.

The sentence as it was imposed does not reflect the seriousness of these offenses. Hate crimes spread fear across entire neighborhoods and communities. There are legal and moral reasons Devlin ought to serve a significant Suffolk County sentence for a serious Suffolk County crime.

Prosecutors had asked for a sentence of three years, to start today.

According to the DA's office:

Devlin was riding an Orange Line train on June 19, 2017, when he began shouting anti-Muslim slurs at the 61-year-old victim, who was wearing a hijab as she returned from a prayer service during Ramadan. Devlin mocked the woman, telling her to take it off and return to her country.

"This is my country," responded the woman, a resident of East Boston who had emigrated from Morocco and recently became an American citizen.

The evidence further showed that Devlin accused the woman of having a bomb in her bag and punched a window near her head, breaking it. As the woman left the train in fear, Devlin struck her.

Speaking through an interpreter, the victim told the court:

I used to cry daily and pray for justice. Why would someone attack me just for wearing something different? I am so thankful my rights were taken seriously … I am here for peace, tranquility, and safety.

She concluded her remarks in English:

God bless America.