Three men fined after pig's head stunt

Three men in a group which placed a pig's head at the site of a proposed mosque were told they should be ashamed of themselves by a magistrate.

Nicholas Long, 22, of Needham Road, Arnold, Robert Parnham, 19, of Farnborough Road, Clifton, and Wayne Havercroft, 41, of Millbank Place, Bestwood Village, all pleaded guilty to racially or religiously aggravated harassment after the pig's head was put on a 4ft pole in Collington Way, West Bridgford, on June 23.

The head was found along with an offensive message and 'No mosque here EDL Notts' written on the pavement.

The court heard Parnham bought it from a butchers and tried to sell it by sending a text message to all his contacts. He received a response from Christopher Payne, who was given a suspended sentence, fined £250 and banned from going to West Bridgford in July.

Payne and the trio were present when the head was put on the stick, and Havercroft admitted he took a photo and sent it to his daughter and asked her to put in on Facebook.

Havercroft, an ex-member of the EDL, also pleaded guilty to racially or religiously aggravated harassment on June 25 after he shouted at people manning a stall about Islam in the city centre. He pulled out a St George's flag and shouted "You are all with Osama Bin Laden".

In mitigation for Parnham and Long, Robert Keeble said the pair were both appalled and ashamed. He said: "They both entered guilty pleas at the first time of asking."

Julia Haywood, in mitigation for Havercroft, said he had borderline personality disorder. She said: "On June 25, Mr Havercroft failed to take his medication and his behaviour can become erratic if he doesn't have it. He was a member of the EDL and joined last year after being incensed by the poppy burning incident."

Long and Parnham were fined £200 and ordered to pay £85 costs. Havercroft was fined £400, with £170 costs and £15 victim surcharge.

Nottingham magistrate Colin Wharmby said: "All three of you should be ashamed of what you did, thoroughly ashamed."

This is Nottingham