York man guilty of racist abuse

A father who taunted his Turkish neighbour with a shout of “BNP” over the garden fence has been punished by a crown court judge.

Lee Andrew Knaggs, 40, admitted his comment was racist and pleaded guilty to a charge of racist abuse towards Memet Koyapinar. Knaggs’s barrister Katherine Robinson, quoting police logs, said it was the latest in a long series of problems between the two families that had seen both call out officers to complain about the other.

The Recorder of York, Judge Stephen Ashurst, said whatever the rights or wrongs, it appeared that Mr Koyapinar had since changed addresses, and Knaggs was needed to help care for his autistic daughter. He gave Knaggs, currently living in Beckfield Lane, Acomb, a community order of 100 hours’ unpaid work.

Prosecuting at Teesside Crown Court, Andrew Haslam said the Koyapinar family were having a barbecue in their garden on April 17 when Knaggs shouted “BNP” at them from his property. There had been a series of incidents between him and Mr Koyapinar earlier in the day and when he was arrested, Knaggs claimed he had been goaded.

On March 25, Knaggs had received a written police warning about harassment towards Mr Koyapinar. Miss Robinson said the period on bail during the court case had been difficult for the Knaggs family because Knaggs had had to live at a different address from his autistic daughter, who insisted on him bathing her. It meant she had to be taken to his flat every time she wanted a bath.

The Press

EDL protesters fined for threats to police

Two protesters involved in the English Defence League (EDL) march in Peterborough have been fined for using threatening behaviour towards police.

Scott Whitehead (32) and James Black (22) appeared separately at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court yesterday (17th December). They both pleaded guilty to using threatening or abusive behaviour likely to cause harrassment, alarm and distress and were both fined £150 by District Judge Ken Sheraton.

Black, of Heathyfields Road, Farnham, Surrey, was punished for throwing a coin at mounted police officers last Saturday as the EDL march proceeded across Town Bridge towards Bridge Street. Prosecutor Graham Dalley said that although Black’s coin did not hit anyone, mounted police put their helmet visors down to protect their faces.

Black appeared at court wearing a dark-hooded top bearing the writing: “English Defence League. Surrey Division”.

Defending himself, Black said he only acted in that way to get the police’s attention as he felt threatened by the proximity of the mounted officers. He said: “The horse came towards a group of EDL on the bridge. Some went down the steps at the side of the bridge, I was following but the horse came straight in front of me and trod on my foot.”

Meanwhile, father-of-four Whitehead, of Pilton Close, Peterborough, apologised for his drunken behaviour after shouting abuse at the mounted officers following the march.

Mr Dalley, prosecuting, said Whitehead had shouted insults at the officers at around 5.15pm, a few hours after the EDL march had finished, before attempting to grab the reins of one of the horses in Bridge Street. Whitehead, who also represented himself, said: “I just want to apologise for my behaviour and for wasting both police and court time.”

Judge Sheraton, while sentencing Whitehead, said: “I think it’s about time you grew up.”

He fined Whitehead and Black £150 each and ordered them both to pay £85 costs and a £15 victim surcharge.

Speaking after the court hearing, Inspector Matt Snow said he could not say whether a horse trod on Black’s foot but he rejected Black’s claims that a mounted officer had acted inappropriately during the march.

He said: “The riders have to make a judgement under the circumstances as to the amount of force that is required. I presume in that officer’s mind there was a reasonably large number of EDL protesters in the area at the time and that he acted for the public safety.”

Peterborough is being held up as an example of how to effectively police an EDL march and associated counter-protests. Supt Paul Fullwood said Cambridgeshire police had received calls from other forces including police from Luton who are preparing for an EDL march in February, asking for information about how they handled the event.

Ten arrests were made on the day, with the EDL and the Peterborough Trades Union Council marches passing generally peacefully.

Supt Fullwood said: “We learned from forces that had policed similar protests, taking into account the good and the bad aspects, and formed our own plans. Since then we have been approached by a number of different forces asking how we handled the situation.”

Peterborough Evening Telegraph

BNP man jailed for attack on woman

The Wakefield Express reported today that a Mapplewell man has been sent to prison for attacking his ex-partner. What was not mentioned in both the newspaper and the courtroom was that the convicted man was none other than John Aveyard, former organiser of the BNP's Wakefield branch.

Aveyard, who has stood for the BNP in the general and European elections and has also been a BNP council election candidate on three occasions including last year when he stood in Wakefield South, was sent to prison for 22 weeks for assault and harassment. This is not the first time Aveyard has had a brush with the law. In 2005 he received a £100 fine with £75 costs for failing to maintain proper records at his Wakefield taxi firm, which is a condition of his private hire licence. You can read full details about his latest conviction in the following article taken from the Wakefield Express.

Kirklees Unity

Jailed for attack on ex-partner

A man who sneaked into his ex partner's car, attacked her and said he was going to 'do her in' has been jailed. John Aveyard opened the passenger door of Jane Skeet’s car and climbed in city magistrates were told. Prosecutor Joseph Spencer said "She asked what he was doing, and he grabbed her by the hair and punched her in the face".

He grabbed her mobile phone, told her he was going to drive her away and 'do her in' Aveyard punched her repeatedly, trapped her in the footwell and got into the drivers seat, but Ms Skeet managed to escape.

The police officer investigating said in six years of service, he had never seen anybody as frightened or as upset as Ms Skeet. Aveyard was on bail for harassment when be attacked Ms Skeet on October 17. He had been harassing her for months, turning up at her home in the middle of the night and confronting her new partner before the attack. They had been together for 12 years and lived in Woolley before they split in April last year. Ms Skeet moved out and began a new relationship with Ian Tippett.

The court heard Aveyard, 47. had been stalking Ms Skeet and making threatening phone calls. He turned up at Ms Skeet's partner’s home in York, demanding to speak to her. Ms Skeet reported it to police the next day and Aveyard called her as she spoke to an officer.

Mr Spencer said: "The police officer heard the defendant admitting turning up to the address in York. He stated 'There are lots of ways to find out where someone lives, it's not difficult,'"

Police found an envelope at Aveyard's house with Mr Tippen's car registration number written on it and diary entries about the couple. Matthew Standbury. mitigating, said Aveyard had admitted the offences at the earliest opportunity.

Aveyard, of Towngate, Mapplewell, was jailed for 22 weeks for assault and 11 'weeks concurrent for harassment. A restraining order was made banning him from contacting Ms Skeet and Mr Tippett.

Wakefield Express

BNP activist loses appeal

A BNP activist found guilty of harassment after putting up posters of three convicted killers with the description "illegal immigrant murder scum" has lost an appeal against his conviction.

Andrew Kendall, 32, from Fairfax Drive, Westcliff, claimed he was legally entitled to use the posters, which he put up in Southend High Street in February 2007, to promote his party's views on immigration and crime. But two senior judges at the High Court in London yesterday ruled Kendall was rightly found guilty by Southend magistrates.

Kendall was appealing against his conviction after he was given an 18-month conditional discharge for causing harassment, alarm or distress.

Mr Justice Keith said while it was accurate to say the three men were illegal immigrants, they had been convicted of manslaughter, and not murder. The judges also said Kendall should have known his actions might distress the public.

Essex Echo