Pair are 'proud to be neo-Nazis'

Michael Heaton (circled) at one of the many 'not nazi at all' EDL rallies (Image: PMcC)

Two men "made it their life's work" to spread racist messages and encourage others to help them achieve their goal of "the eradication of ethnic minorities from Britain", a court heard today.

Michael Heaton, 42, and Trevor Hannington, 58, both "proud" neo-Nazis, are accused at Liverpool Crown Court of urging people to kill Jews.

Andrew Edis QC, prosecuting said: "Each of these men is proud to call himself a National Socialist, or a neo-Nazi in other language. Each is a member of an organisation called the Aryan Strike Force, whose goal it is to clear the country of all ethnic minorities, as they say, whatever it takes."

Both men deny that postings they made on a right-wing website solicited others to murder. Heaton is standing trial over four comments he made on the Aryan Strike Force website (ASF) between January and April 2008.

The prosecution argue that his comments about Jews - "...they will always be scum, destroy 'em with whatever it takes", and "I would encourage any religion or race that wants to destroy the Jews, I hate them with a passion..." - encourage their murder, or at least stir up racial hatred. In one post he wrote that black people are "less intelligent than other species", and in another that Jews are leeches and "treacherous fucking scum".

Hannington denies one count of soliciting to murder with the post: "Kill the Jew, Kill the Jew, Burn down a synagogue today!... Burn the scum...".

Mr Edis told the jury of seven men and five women there was no question over whether the defendants made the postings.

"That is undisputed," he said, referring to Hannington's post. "It's what he wanted to achieve when he put that on a forum on a website that matters."

The panel was told that Hannington has already pleaded guilty to possessing information which may be useful to terrorists. On Wednesday he admitted to owning the Anarchist's Cookbook, Kitchen Complete and The Terrorist Encyclopaedia, all of which are considered useful tools to someone preparing or committing an act of terrorism.

He pleaded guilty to inciting racial hatred with internet posts stating his beliefs that Jews were "parasites feeding on others" and "utterly evil sub-beings". He also admitted publishing a post on the internet with instructions on how to make a flame thrower out of a water pistol. Mr Edis said the guilty pleas should not persuade the jury that he is guilty of the count he stands trial over, but that it demonstrates he is "to be taken seriously", and has the knowledge of how to follow his comments through into practice.

The prosecutor said Heaton made more than 3,000 posts on the ASF website between January and June 2008, before he had a "bust-up" with the organisation and created his own, The British Freedom Fighters. The website changed its name to Legion 88 and then Wolfpack, before it was closed down.

Mr Edis explained that the number 8 refers to the eighth letter in the alphabet, H. So 88 stands for HH, as in Heil Hitler, a common greeting for neo-Nazis. Both men used a number of monikers when they posted their comments on the website. Heaton called himself Wigan Mike, and then later Lenny. Hannington gave himself the names Fist, Lee 88 and Paul.

The prosecutor said: "These are the descriptions they gave themselves. It's how they wish to be named."

The pair were in regular contact over the internet with two men who have now been convicted of terrorism charges, including possessing the deadly poison ricin, the court heard. Jurors were shown chatroom conversations between them and fellow racists who called themselves Sweeney and Thorburn. Sweeney was the moniker for Ian Davison, who set up the ASF website, and is now in prison. Thorburn is the name used by his son, Nicky Davison, now serving time in a young offenders' institution.

Mr Edis told the jurors they would be shown more logs of internet chat conversations between both men and their associates during the trial.

The prosecutor briefly showed the panel a collection of photographs found on Heaton's computer, as well as a video showing him training in a form of martial art. He is seen kicking a training partner, and Mr Edis said more videos of him teaching his skills to others will be shown. This, he said, shows he is not simply preoccupied by posting racist material on the internet, but is active in spreading his beliefs to other.

The trial continues.

Independent

Neo-Nazis face charges of "soliciting murder" in Liverpool

Two neo-Nazi member of the extremist English Defence League have appeared in court accused of soliciting the hate killings of Jews.

Trevor Hannington, 58, and Michael Heaton, 42, face a total of seven counts of "soliciting to commit murder", and "using threatening or abusive language likely to stir up racial hatred".

At the beginning of the hearing at Liverpool Crown Court, stocky shaven-headed Hannington entered guilty pleas on five further charges which he had previously denied. These included posting vile, racist slurs on a website for violent extremists The Aryan Strike Force which read "Jews are parasites feeding off others" and "Jews will always be scum".

He also admitted posting copies of notorious bomb-making handbooks associated with terrorism on the website, which he administered, known as the "Anarchists Cookbook" and the "Terrorism Encyclopaedia". Wearing a plain white t-shirt, Hannington, of South Wales, scowled in the dock as he admitted a final charge of circulating instructions for constructing a flamethrower out of a water pistol.

In a five hour hearing, prosecuting counsel Andrew Edis QC, told the court that co-defendant Michael Heaton had posted a string of threatening messages on the Aryan Strike Force website, which he ran with Hannington. Mr Edis told the court that Hannington's obscene postings included messages that said:" Kill the Jew, Kill the Jew! Burn down the synagogue. Burn the scum."

Mr Edis described Heaton's alleged hate-filled postings. They are said to include: "Jews will always be scum and must be destroyed" and "I would encourage any religion or race which wants to destroy the Jews, I hate them with a passion".

A further racist tirade is said to have said: "Black people have high sex drives and are more aggressive than all other species".

Heaton, of Manchester, denies soliciting to murder, and stood stony-faced in the dock sporting a large black scorpion tattoo on his neck. His co-defendant, Hannington, also denies a similar charge of soliciting to murder. The offences are said to have happened in January and April 2008.

After the seven remaining charges were read out, Judge Stephen Irwin QC reminded the jury, of seven men and five women, to put all prejudices aside. He had earlier rejected defence requests that jurors should declare their ethnic and religious backgrounds before being sworn-in. Reporting restrictions on publication of the addresses of the accused remain in place, for the protection of members of their families.

Trevor Hannington was remanded in custody. Michael Heaton had his bail renewed with the condition that he is barred from contacting members of the Aryan Strike Force or English Defence League. The trial commences at 10am on Friday.

Click Liverpool

White supremacist and son await sentence

A white supremacist who created deadly ricin will be sentenced along with his racist son today

Police said former pub DJ Ian Davison, 41, was plotting to use the killer chemical which was found in a jam jar in his kitchen when officers raided. He ran a group of internet extremists known as the Aryan Strike Force with his 19-year-old son Nicky, who was convicted last month of preparing for acts of terrorism by downloading the guidebooks the Anarchist's Cookbook and The Poor Man's James Bond.

The teenager, of Grampian Way, Annfield Plain, County Durham, claimed he became involved in white supremacy to please his racist father. A jury took 50 minutes to convict him at Newcastle Crown Court.

Davison Snr, of Myrtle Grove, Burnopfield, County Durham, had already admitted producing a chemical weapon, preparing for acts of terrorism and three counts relating to possessing the terror handbooks. Ricin is extracted from the castor bean and exposure to small quantities can be fatal. The US Centre for Disease Control suggested that as little as 500mg - about half a grain of rice - could be lethal if injected or inhaled, and has no known antidote.

The father and son were both remanded in custody ahead of their sentencing at Newcastle Crown Court.

After Davison Jnr's conviction, Detective Superintendent Neil Malkin said: "I have no understanding of their intended target. What I do know is the nature of the organisation and what it had pulled together in terms of the ricin, pipe bombs and the manuals can only give me concerns that the next step was to take it to the streets."

The Aryan Strike Force was in the early stages of preparation when it was raided last summer, and planned paramilitary operations which aimed to topple the "Zionist" government. Members believed themselves to be the most racist group in Britain.

Independent

Pictures of UK neo-Nazi plotters released

Ian Davison (left) and son Nicky

Pictures of the father and son neo-Nazis involved in a UK right-wing plot to kill Muslims, blacks and Jews, have been released.

Hate mob leader Ian Davison, 41, planned to use the deadly poison ricin and recruited hundreds of followers to his Nazi Aryan Strike Force. His son Nicky, 19, had set up a computer network of white supremacist extremists around the world.

Members of the group planned to fight against what they called the "Zionist-occupied government" and believed Britain had been taken over by Jews. A police raid at the Davisons’ home on Grampian Way, Annfield Plain, Co Durham in England, found copies of paramilitary manuals 'The Poor Man’s James Bond' and the 'Anarchist’s Cookbook' on two computers.

Davison Jnr, a former milkman’s assistant, denied any knowledge of the documents and claimed a “mischievous” friend downloaded them. But he was convicted on Friday of three counts of possessing information useful in committing or preparing terror acts. Former pub DJ Davison Snr previously admitted six charges, including producing deadly ricin, one of the world’s most dangerous substances. They will be sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court on May 14.

Judge John Milford remanded Davison in custody and he was taken away after hugging his weeping mother in the public gallery.

The racist gang was fully intending to use the deadly ricin, said the officer leading the investigation, Detective Superintendent Neil Malkin.

“I have no understanding of their intended target,” he said. “What I do know is the nature of the organisation and what it had pulled together in terms of the ricin, pipe bombs and the manuals can only give me concerns that the next step was to take it to the streets.”

He said the deadly substance was found in a sealed jar and was in a usable state. It has now been taken to the UK’s chemical weapons centre at Porton Down.

Mr Malkin said the father was the head of the organisation which had “abhorrent views” towards “ethnic minorities and Jewish people”. But the son was old enough to know his own mind, the detective said.

“He lived in an atmosphere of extreme right-wing white supremacist neo-Nazi rhetoric and he has embraced that.”

Mr Malkin said others investigated as part of the inquiry will face prosecution later this year.

Evening Echo

White supremacist group 'considered itself most racist'

A white supremacist group considered itself the most racist and extreme neo-Nazi movement in Britain, a court heard today. Members of the Aryan Strike Force believed groups like the notorious far-right Combat 18 and Blood and Honour did "fuck all" and were more interested in raising money than fighting "scum".

The shocking revelation emerged during the trial of ex-milkman's assistant Nicky Davison, 19, who is charged with possessing terrorism manuals.

Newcastle Crown Court has already heard that the teenager was one of the founders of the Aryan Strike Force, an online far-right group set up by his father, Ian. Ian Davison, 41, a former pub DJ, has already admitted six charges related to this case, including producing ricin, one of the world's deadliest substances. The aim of the group was to carry out "ops" and overthrow the Government, which it believed had been taken over by the ZOG - the Zionist Occupied Government.

After studying videos, messages posted online and logs of internet chat, Dr Matthew Feldman, a lecturer at the University of Northampton, said the Aryan Strike Force considered itself the most extreme right-wing group in Britain.

"Some of these groups like Blood and Honour and Combat 18 are seen as not being 'active' enough," Dr Feldman, an expert in the ideology of post-war fascism and neo-Nazism, told the jury. "Aryan Strike Force would regard itself as the pinnacle and the most uncompromising form of neo-Nazis groups available in the UK. The Aryan Strike Force regarded itself as the most active, rejectionist and unwilling to compromise on its principles.

"The other movements would be more concerned about finances rather than focusing on direct action or revolutionary tactics. It was an unmistakable example of neo-Nazis in Britain and this permutation is the most overtly hostile. Legion88, the Aryan Strike Force and WolfPack represented the most aggressive and dangerous form of neo-Nazism. One, moreover, which seems to be on the most extreme form of (the) neo-Nazi spectrum, and this group may be considered an exemplar of violent revolutionary neo-Nazism."

Earlier today, jurors were read messages Davison had posted on online forums and heard he was prepared to "die fighting" for his cause. Andrew Edis QC, prosecuting, said Davison wrote: "I know my aims. I don't care if I am fighting a unwinnable battle. I would rather die fighting than let the scum of the earth walk over us."

Davison wrote of "taking control of national white countries by any means necessary and overthrow and see the downfall of the ZOG".

The court heard yesterday that in June last year police discovered copies of The Poor Man's James Bond and The Anarchist's Cookbook on computers at the home Davison shared with his mother and younger brothers and sisters in County Durham. Davison, of Grampian Way, Annfield Plain, denies three charges of possessing a record containing information useful in committing or preparing acts of terrorism.

Last month his father, of Myrtle Grove, Burnopfield, County Durham, admitted preparing for acts of terrorism and producing a chemical weapon from June 1 to 3 last year. He also admitted three charges of possessing a record containing information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing acts of terrorism relating to electronic copies of The Anarchist's Cookbook, the Mujahideen Explosives Handbook and Kitchen Complete on June 2. He will be sentenced at the conclusion of his son's trial.

Ricin is a toxin that is extracted from the castor bean and exposure to small quantities can be fatal. The US Centre for Disease Control suggests as little as 500 micrograms - about half a grain of sand - of the substance can be lethal if injected or inhaled. It has no known antidote.

Independent

White supremacist admits producing ricin for terrorism

A white supremacist today admitted producing deadly ricin while preparing for acts of terrorism. Ian Davison's home in Myrtle Grove, Burnopfield, County Durham, was raided by anti-terror officers who found the killer substance in a jam jar in his kitchen.

At Newcastle Crown Court he admitted producing a chemical weapon - ricin - and preparing for acts of terrorism. He also admitted three charges of possessing a record containing information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing acts of terrorism. The charge related to copies of three texts including The Anarchist's Handbook, which detailed instructions on making explosives.

Davison, who wore a pale blue, short-sleeved shirt and was flanked by four prison officers, also admitted possession of a prohibited weapon which related to a spray canister found during the raid on his home. He will be sentenced after the trial of his son Nicky Davison, 19, who denies two charges of possessing material containing information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing acts of terrorism. The case will be heard on April 12.

The father, a truck driver and ex-DJ, was remanded in custody and Judge John Milford warned him: "Doubtless you have been told only custody can follow."

Nicky Davison was granted bail until his trial.

Independent

Explosives recipes were 'just for interest'

A former British National Party candidate accused of plotting to make bombs from chemicals he bought on the Internet claimed today the substances were for cleaning his false teeth and unblocking drains.

Robert Cottage (49) told Manchester Crown Court he thought some of the other chemicals could be used to protect him from bird flu and purify water if supplies were cut off during civil unrest - two of his great fears. Cottage, a bus driver who transported disabled children, feared immigrants were swamping Britain and bringing it to the brink of civil war.

When his home in Colne was searched by police last September, 21 chemicals were found. Officers also discovered crossbows, air pistols, BB guns and ammunition, along with excessive amounts of rice, sugar and petrol.

Under cross-examination, Cottage said it was a coincidence he had bought chemicals just days after printing off recipes for explosive devices from the Internet. He told prosecutor Miss Louise Blackwell QC he downloaded the Anarchist Cookbook and printed off sections out of ``idle curiosity`` but could not explain why instructions for making a Molotov cocktail, a pipe hand grenade and dynamite were in his possession.

``I can't explain why I printed them off - I had no interest in making the devices, it was just for interest,'' he said.

Cottage told jurors he used an email address involving the phrase "brotherofenoch" as his views on immigration were close to those of Enoch Powell's. He said uncontrolled immigration frightened him but he was not racist.

Cottage and his co-defendant, dentist David Jackson (62), of Nelson, are charged with conspiring to cause explosions intended to endanger life.

The pair, who met at BNP meetings, are also charged with possession of
explosives for an unlawful purpose. Jackson denies this charge, but Cottage admitted it during their first trial in February at which a previous jury had failed to reach a verdict.

Today, Cottage told jurors he did not discuss making explosives from the
Anarchists' Cookbook with Jackson. ``I don't think he even knew the Anarchist Cookbook was in my possession,'' he said.

Cottage admitted buying a separate batch of chemicals on behalf of his friend, but said he did not know why he wanted them.

The case continues

Burnley Express