Two Nazi EDL Thugs in Portsmouth Courts in One Week!

Hyland (left) and Silvester: racist EDL thugs

Two members of the far-right English Defence League have found themselves up in Portsmouth Courts in the same week for racially-aggravated harrassment and breach of bail conditions for violent assault

Jacob 'Jake' Hyland is one of the more active and extreme fascist members of Portsmouth EDL and the hilariously entitled ‘Pompey EDL Youth Division’. He has even been on the Portsmouth Anarchist blog under the name ‘pompeyagainstanarchists’ arguing that the EDL are not racist. The 18-year-old, of Mayridge, Fareham, been given a restraining order by Portsmouth Crown Court (15/11/11) for religiously-aggravated harassment after making abusive phone calls to Abbas Rahim at the Al Mahdi Centre in Fareham in October and November of last year.

Following the court appearance of baby-faced Nazi Jacob 'Jake' Hyland earlier in the week, a second Portsmouth member of the extremist EDL also had his day in court (or should that be YET another day in court, following his previous convictions?!) .

Blaise Silvester, 21, of Stubbington Avenue, North End, was given a two-month curfew and told to do 100 hours of unpaid work after attacking peace protesters at a demonstration outside the Jami Mosque in Victoria Road North, Southsea. A group of football hooligans, neo-nazi extremists and local youths formed to hurl racist abuse, bottles, bricks, fireworks and roofing slates at members of the peaceful Portsmouth muslim community and many others from the local area who had gathered to defend the Mosque.

Sentencing him in June, Judge Graham White said the 21-year-old could normally have gone to jail. But a mistake by the probation service meant the judge’s hands were tied and he had to hand Silvester a community order. Silvester was given a 12-month community order and told to do 100 hours of unpaid work in the community. He also had to wear an electronic tag and stay at home everyday from 9pm to 6am for two months. Silvester should have been offered rehabilitation by the probation service for a previous offence but because he wasn’t, the judge said he couldn’t jail him.

Rather than counting himself lucky and getting on with the unpaid work, Silvester breached the order. On one occasion he shouted and swore at the officer in charge and another time he failed to turn up, Portsmouth Crown Court heard.

Paulie at Indymedia

Man found guilty of sending BNP leaflets and abusive letters to Llandudno man

A man accused of sending BNP leaflets and abusive letters to a mixed race van driver has been warned he could be jailed.

Paul Gordon Frossell, 40, denied racially aggravated harassment after admitting he sent two letters and British National Party (BNP) material to the man and his Polish girlfriend. After a two-day trial a jury at Caernarfon Crown Court unanimously found him guilty.

Adjourning sentence Judge Rhys Rowlands said: “You have been convicted on what is a serious offence. The BNP is regarded by many people as having offensive views. You put their literature under the door with a deeply offensive letter. This can’t and won’t be tolerated.”

The judge warned Frossell, of Mostyn Avenue, Llandudno, the fact he was being bailed for pre-sentence reports meant nothing as to the eventual sentence.

“All options remain open,” he said.

Giving evidence Frossell said the letter stemmed from a parking dispute he had with Robert Islam, a man of mixed British and Indian parentage. Frossell, who sells mobility scooters, said he had received dozens of parking tickets because he had nowhere to park his van. He claimed Mr Islam did not have permission to park near the Clarence Hotel whereas he had an arrangement with the owner .

Frossell admitted he had pretended to be the owner of the hotel, which was closed, hoping it would have more impact.

“I thought he would take it more seriously,” he said.

Cross examined by prosecutor Matthew Dunford he admitted: “it had been a stupid thing to do”.

Mr Islam told the jury about an envelope containing a letter and a leaflet about the BNP. The letter was addressed to the owner of a Ford Transit van and it said: “We believe you are of Asian descent and may not understand English.”

The self-employed courier, said he had been “extremely annoyed” to receive the letter and had reported the matter to police who launched an investigation. But two months later, on November 10, another envelope was delivered. This contained 15-20 pages from an “activists pack” for the BNP party. This letter was opened by Mr Islam’s Polish partner Malgorzata Ambicka. Speaking through an interpreter, Ms Ambicka told the jury: “I was scared. I felt threatened, as if someone had control over me.”

Frossell was bailed until next month.

Daily Post

BNP supporter jailed for racist attack on children

A man who shouted racial abuse at Asian children and chanted "BNP" at them has been jailed for eight months

Steven Moorhouse, 26, of Rushton Hill Close, Pellon, Halifax, admitted racially aggravated common assault and harassment between June and July last year. The children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were aged between eight and 13.

Paul Williams, prosecuting, said Moorhouse made an inappropriate comment to a 12-year-old girl and her two younger brothers took exception. Mr Williams said: "He said, 'Have you got an older sister? I need a woman to keep me off drugs'."

When the boys, eight and 10, objected, Moorhouse unleashed a tirade of racial abuse on them.

"He told them to go back to their own country," said Mr Williams, "While walking away he repeated the phrase, 'BNP, BNP'."

A week later, Moorhouse abused a 13-year-old white girl and her Asian boyfriend and threatened to return with a knife and stab one of them. On July 4 he again used racist language towards the brothers from the earlier incident and swung out at one of them, clipping him with his finger.

Moorhouse – who has previous convictions for assault, threatening behaviour and harassment and committed the latest offences in breach of a suspended sentence – was overheard shouting that he would get the BNP to come and slit someone's throat.

Jailing him, Recorder Richard Mansell QC said: "You resort to violent, threatening, bullying behaviour when things don't go your way."

Evening Courier

Hastings taxis could get CCTV as racist abuse soars

Taxis are set to be fitted with cameras as standard with the boss of one leading firm describing racist abuse to drivers as "out of control".

Chris Vale, who manages 24/7 Taxis, spoke out after a customer who admitted racially abusing one of his drivers avoided prison. The victim, 23-year-old Aras Cassidy, who is Kurdish, said foreign drivers are subjected to racist comments twice a day.

Brian Styles, 49, of Maple Heights, pleaded guilty to racially aggravated harassment and failing to provide a specimen, and he was found guilty of taking a vehicle without consent. He was fined £900, banned from driving for a year and ordered to pay £300 costs. Styles was arrested after driver Mr Cassidy went to collect him from The Rising Sun pub in Battle Road in October.

"I tried to be friendly and have a chat with him but he just started saying things like, 'Why don't you go back to your own country?' I ignored him but he kept swearing so I got out of the car. He jumped in the front seat and removed the handbrake. I was shocked but we get comments like that twice a day and you just learn to live with it. Most people we pick up are really nice but you get some who are aggressive. I sometimes ask myself: 'What am I doing in this country?' but all my best friends are English and I have been here for 12 years."

Mr Vale, 43, was stunned by the sentence.

"They should have put him inside. The racism from some people is getting out of control. I have lived all over the UK and grew up when the National Front were at large but I have never known anything like this."

Chief Inspector Mark Ling said: "We take a positive stance against hate crime of all types. Nobody should live or work with the fear and anxiety that this type of crime can cause. I would urge people who are victimised or abused in this way to report it. If nobody knows about the it then little can be done to stop it happening again."

Mr Vale's company has 70 cars, making it the biggest fleet in the town. About one third of his drivers are foreign nationals and they all report the same kinds of problems.

"Since 2005 issues with racism and drugs and people doing runners have become much worse," said Mr Vale."I have people get in the car talking openly about buying drugs," added Mr Cassidy.

Now Mr Vale is supporting a council scheme, funded by the Safer Hastings Partnership and overseen by the licensing team, to put CCTV cameras into taxis across the town.

A council spokesman said: "It's likely to take place over several phases but we are confident that this is a positive move, increasing safety for both driver and passenger. Any abuse towards drivers, whether verbal or physical, is completely unacceptable and these cameras will go a long way in providing an extra element of protection."

But Reg Torab, 49, who runs New Carmiles sounded a note of caution.

"I do not think cameras should be compulsory," he said. "They do help when there are incidents but we keep very records of every job and there are issues about customers' privacy as well."

Hastings Observer

Jail for neo-Nazi terror offender

A neo-Nazi found with bomb-making materials at his flat and who harassed a mixed-race couple has been jailed for more than seven years

Grimsby Crown Court heard Nathan Worrell, 35, had bomb ingredients and far-right propaganda at the property. A jury found him guilty of possession of material for terrorist purposes and of racially aggravated harassment.

Terror police described Worrell, from Grimsby, as a "dangerous individual who harbours extreme anti-Semitic views".

The court was told that police found books and manuals on how make bombs and detonators using items such as weedkiller, lighter fluid and sugar. Two tubs of sodium chlorate weedkiller, three bottles of lighter fluid, and fireworks were also discovered.

The trial heard Worrell left racist stickers on the gate of the home of Susan Crofts and Mohammed Chowdhery and on a nearby lamppost. One sticker read: "Only inferior white women date outside their race. Be proud of your heritage."

Judge John Reddihough sentenced Worrell to six years for the terror offence and 15 months for the harassment, to run consecutively, giving a total of seven years and three months.

After the trial, Det Ch Supt David Buxton, of the Counter Terrorism Unit, said: "Literature found at his flat exposed his interest in creating explosives and even more concerning a number of items were recovered that could have been used to create these devices. We are thankful for his early arrest that has stopped Worrell from taking his interest further."

He added: "It is to my sadness that one family in particular have suffered at the hands of these extreme beliefs and the unforgivable actions of this man. No-one should be made to feel like an outsider in their own community because of their race or religion. I wish to thank them for their bravery during this investigation during what has been an extremely difficult time for them."

BBC

BNP supporter’s racist stickers

A BNP supporter stuck racist stickers on packages and sent them out in a protest over mosques, a court heard. The stickers contained the words ‘no more mosques’ and a cartoon figure of a Muslim with a bomb exploding from his head. They were found by Muslim workers at the Royal Mail Centre in Stockport in March.

Internet trader Lockhart Kneen, 39, of Braemore Drive, Hyde, who sells political magazines for the BNP, claimed he had put the stickers on the packages and sent them out through the post in protest against a ‘Tameside super mosque’.

Stockport Magistrates heard that the stickers, which contained the Muslim tenet ‘There is no God but Allah and Mohammed is his messenger’, were found by a Muslim mail processor who found them extremely offensive.

"When I saw the statement about no more mosques and the writing in Arbabic, I knew that these stickers were not normal and were descriminating against muslim people," said Mr Mohammed. "I live in a free country and nobody makes trouble for me. I am very glad to live here, but of course the statement ‘no more mosques’ offends me. If I was a Christian and somebody said ‘no more churches’ it would be offensive."

The packages were traced to Kneen, who claimed he had been advised by the leader of the BNP in Tameside that the stickers were not racist, but were illegal when stuck on public property.

"I just thought, the stickers are fine, these parcels are my property and I live in a free country, so I decided to stick them on my property," he said. "They’re going to move the war graves in Ashton and build a super mosque. I’m a methodist. If someone said no more methodist churches I wouldn’t find that offensive, that’s their opinion."

Kneen’s internet account has been suspended and he is no longer able to trade in electronics.

Defending, Mr Lake said: "It was an expression of freedom of speech that was expressed in the stickers and clearly had personal significance to the defendant."

District Judge Tim Devas said: "I find the defendant’s point on Methodist churches thought provoking. But these stickers did cause offence to people of other cultures and I don’t find his actions reasonable."

Kneen was fined £150 and ordered to pay £115 costs for two counts of racially/religiously aggravated harrassment.

Tameside Advertiser

BNP candidate is arrested

A BNP candidate has been charged with racially aggravated harrassment over claims he shouted abuse at a German neighbour.

Roy Kevin West, of Glenmore Grove, Dukinfield, was questioned at Ashton police station over the incident alleged to have taken place on 28 August. While he was being interviewed, it is understood police raided his home and confiscated several flags and artefacts belonging to him.

The unemployed 44 year old stood in Dukinfield in May’s local elections and claimed second place with 734 votes behind Councillor Brian Wild.

He answered bail at the police station on Friday and was charged. He will appear before Tameside magistrates on Wednesday.

Tameside Advertiser