BNP politician Richard Barnbrook faces ban after 'making up' murders

The BNP’s representative on the London Assembly is facing a six-month ban after he fabricated murder stories to increase fear of knife crime

Richard Barnbrook, who is accused of bringing the authority into disrepute, may become the first politician in its history to be suspended when the case is heard today. An independent investigation found that Mr Barnbrook’s comments on YouTube about non-existent murders had showed “wilful disregard for the truth”. He said that he had got his words “jumbled up”.

City Hall’s standards committee will consider a penalty for Mr Barnbrook, who was elected in May, after he was found to have brought both the London Assembly, and Barking and Dagenham Council, the East London authority to which he was elected in 2006, into disrepute. Their options range from forcing him to apologise, undertake a course or participate in conciliation, to suspending him from both authorities for up to six months.

Supporters of both the BNP and Unite Against Fascism, which campaigns against rightwing groups, are planning to attend the hearing. London Patriots, a fringe rightwing organisation, says it will bus supporters to City Hall, raising fears of clashes between the groups.

In a video, which was posted on YouTube in May last year, Mr Barnbrook said: “Three weeks ago, there was a murder of a young girl. We don’t know who’s done it, her girlfriend was attacked inside an educational institute. Again, two weeks ago there was another attack by knives on the streets of Barking and Dagenham where two people were murdered.”

The Metropolitan police confirmed that there had been no murders or serious incidents in the time period cited, and that murders in the area were actually decreasing.

During a joint investigation by the GLA and the council, Mr Barnbrook admitted to investigators that he was aware that his comments were inaccurate. He was accused of making up the murders because knife crime was an emotive issue in the capital at the time. Valerie Rush, a Labour cabinet member at Barking and Dagenham Council, who made a complaint about Mr Barnbrook, said he had “openly and outrageously” lied to “whip up fears in the London community”.

Mr Barnbrook has since changed his position and yesterday told The Times that his comments should be excused because he had dyslexia. He said that he was the subject of a witchhunt because he had “humiliated” Boris Johnson, and his Tory colleagues, by highlighting the issue of knife crime.

Referring to the “young girl” he had spoken about in the video, he said: “I said she was murdered in Barking, but I should have said she was from Barking. She was actually murdered in Newham. The two additional murders that I spoke about, I should have said attempted murders. We had done five takes of the video. Some of the words would have got jumbled up.”

He said that once he realised the video was incorrect, it was removed.

Mr Barnbrook had been the most senior elected member of the BNP until June, when its leader Nick Griffin and Andrew Brons were both voted into the European Parliament. His disciplinary hearing was scheduled for July but was delayed when he claimed stress-related illness and was signed off work for two weeks.

Times Online

BNP activist and the false murder claims on YouTube

Richard Barnbrook admitted he broadcast inaccurate information

A prominent BNP councillor has escaped suspension after a disciplinary hearing was postponed at the 11th hour

Today's hearing had been set up by City Hall and Barking and Dagenham council after Richard Barnbrook falsely claimed on YouTube that three people were murdered in three weeks in the borough. But last night officials were forced to delay the hearing after the BNP member of the London Assembly presented a dossier of new evidence denying that he had brought the Greater London Authority and council into disrepute.

Mr Barnbrook, who was elected to Barking and Dagenham council in 2006 and is one of 12 BNP councillors in the borough, was due to face a hearing three weeks ago but claimed he was too stressed to attend.

In the YouTube clip he posted last September, he claimed the borough had seen three murders in as many weeks. There had been one killing in the neighbouring borough of Newham, and no evidence of two other attacks, despite Mr Barnbrook insisting two victims died after being placed on life support machines. He told investigators he knew he was making inaccurate statements, and has since apologised, but said he was right to raise concerns about knife crime.

His comments led to a complaint to the council and Greater London Authority that he had brought both authorities into disrepute. The GLA's standards committee was to decide today whether to uphold an independent investigation's finding that Mr Barnbrook, who earns £52,910 as an Assembly member and £10,006 as a councillor, showed “wilful disregard for the truth”. If found guilty, he could be suspended from both authorities for up to six months.

Val Rush, Labour councillor in Barking and Dagenham, who brought the complaint, said Mr Barnbrook had undermined confidence in local authorities. Murders have fallen in Barking and Dagenham, from six in 2006/07 to three in 2007/08 and one in 2008/09.

Mr Barnbrook claims he was a victim of a political campaign and his comments about the first murder “came out wrong”. Investigators noted he made no attempt to remedy this by re-recording the video.

Evening Standard

Richard Barnbrook investigated over murder claims

Richard Barnbrook, the BNP's only London assembly member, is under investigation after being accused of wrongly alleging that three murders took place in the borough.

Mr Barnbrook, who is GLA member for Barking and Dagenham, claimed in September that a girl and two others were murdered in knife attacks. He made the claims on Youtube website, accusing London Mayor, Boris Johnson and councils of failing to do more to tackle knife crime.

GLA's standards sub-committee referred the allegation for further investigation after viewing the broadcast last month. Mr Barnbrook could be suspended by the GLA for up to six months if the complaint is upheld.

Executive Member for Safer Neighbourhoods and Policing, Cllr Val Rush, lodged the complaint, after stating that there had been no murders during this period.

Mr Barnbrook said in the Youtube video in September: "In Barking and Dagenham three weeks ago there was murder of a young girl. Again two weeks ago there was another attack by knives on the streets of Barking and Dagenham and two people were murdered."

Mr Barnbrook has been advised to make no comment while the investigation is underway.

Barking and Dagenham Post

BNP London assembly member under investigation for YouTube murder allegations

Greater London authority investigates allegation that Richard Barnbrook wrongly claimed that three murders had taken place in his borough

Richard Barnbrook, the BNP's only member in the London assembly, is under investigation by the Greater London authority after he was accused of wrongly alleging that three murders had taken place in his borough.

Barnbrook, GLA member for Barking and Dagenham, claimed in September that a girl was killed within the borough three weeks before. He also claimed that within the same timeframe, two other people were murdered in knife attacks.

He made the claims while accusing Boris Johnson, the London mayor, and councils of failing to do enough to tackle knife crime in the capital.

Barnbrook made the allegations on a YouTube video, posted on his website as part of an attack on local authorities' action against knife crime

The GLA's standards subcommittee decided last month to refer the allegation to the monitoring officer for further investigation after viewing the broadcast. Under section five of the code, London assembly members are warned they must not conduct themselves in a manner which could reasonably be regarded as bringing their office or authority into disrepute.

Barnbrook, also a member of the 11-strong BNP group at Barking and Dagenham council, could be suspended by the GLA for up to six months if the complaint is upheld against him, or face tougher sanctions at the hands of the adjudication panel for England.

Valerie Rush, executive member of Barking and Dagenham with responsibility for safer neighbourhoods and policing, lodged the complaint against Barnbrook with the standards committees of both her own council and the GLA for allegedly bringing his position as an assembly member into "disrepute" and seeking to "damage the reputation of the GLA and its elected members as well as Barking & Dagenham council".

Rush alleged in her complaint that Barnbrook's claim over the murder of a young girl was "an absolute lie".

"He also goes on to claim a further two murders in the borough in the last two weeks, which is also a lie," she added.

Boris Johnson, the London mayor, is a member of the standards committee which will be responsible for deciding Barnbrook's fate if the allegations against the BNP are proven.

Though GLA sanctions are limited up to six months' suspension, the committee has the option from next month to refer the matter directly to an independent judicial tribunal, the adjudication panel for England, which could lead to tougher sanctions up to and including being disbarred for five years.

Barnbrook was discussing knife crime fatalities and the failure of both Johnson and local authorities to "do more" to tackle the scourge of knife crime, when he said: "This year alone, up until now there has been 27 murders of youths between 13 and 17 by knife crimes with several thousand more being attacked by knives," said Barnbrook.

"In Barking and Dagenham alone three weeks ago there was a murder of a young girl, we don't know who's done it; her girlfriend was attacked inside an educational institute. Again two weeks ago there was another attack by knives on the streets of Barking and Dagenham and two people were murdered."

Barnbrook told guardian.co.uk he had been advised by the GLA not to comment while the investigation was still under way. But blogger Adam Bienkov, who first broke the story, said Barnbrook had told him that his dyslexia may have led him to have "muddled" his account.

"He also said that one of the three murders he had referred to in the video, had actually taken place 'just over the river' from Barking and Dagenham."

Barking and Dagenham police were unavailable for comment.

Guardian