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Three admit roles in Walsall EDL protest disorder

By
July 19, 2013
Fined, Racial Conviction, racially aggravated harassment
John Sharpe, aged 45, from Walsall and Kyle Kirkbridge, aged 24, from Rugeley

John Sharpe, aged 45, from Walsall and Kyle Kirkbridge, aged 24, from Rugeley

Three men have admitted their roles in trouble which broke out during an English Defence League protest in a busy Black Country town centre.

Angry scenes unfolded in Leicester Street, Walsall, in September as the EDL held a protest and disorder erupted as supporters left a pub.

Kyle Kirkbride, of Rugeley, and Peter Jelley, of Shrewsbury, both admitted threatening behaviour, while John Sharpe, of Leamore, Bloxwich, admitted racially aggravated harassment at Walsall Magistrates Court yesterday.

Mrs Clare Davis, prosecuting, said during the afternoon of September 29 there had been 300 EDL supporters in Yates’s, 100 in Varsity and more elsewhere and disorder erupted when 200 to 300 supporters left the pub.

Some stewards, EDL supporters and police suffered injuries.

The court heard Sharpe made racist remarks to a police officer. Miss Davis said the 45-year-old, of Hawbush Road, was not part of the protest and was in the “wrong place at the wrong time”. Mrs Sheila Hicklin, mitigating, said Sharpe had a drinking problem. District Judge Michael

Morris ordered him to pay a £100 fine, £150 compensation, £85 costs and £15 victim surcharge.

Miss Davis said Kirkbride, aged 24, of Springfield Avenue, had made rude hand gestures to Asian men.

Mr Jason Georgiou, mitigating, said he was not racist and was responding to the men. He was given a £280 fine, told to pay £85 costs and £15 victim surcharge.

Peter Jelley, aged 24, of Prescott Close, Shrewsbury, denied being involved in violence. In mitigation, Mr James Hand said he has no strong political views.

The hearing was adjourned for a pre-sentence report and he was released on conditional bail to return to court on February 6 for sentencing.

Express & Star

The Facebook chat that cost Shaun Rossington his life.

By
July 19, 2013
Jailed, murder

LIKE millions of other young people, Shaun Rossington used the internet to while away the hours chatting to friends.

As he logged onto his Facebook profile on the evening of June 2 last year, it is likely he expected to do little more than catch up on his social life.

He could never have predicted that a conversation he was about to have would ultimately lead to his death.

Shaun, 21, pictured below, entered into an online chat with a 13-year-old girl, who was using a computer at Nicolas Shelbourne’s flat

It was later claimed in court that during the chat, she had offered him a sexual favour in return for money and cigarettes.

The conversation got the attention of Shelbourne, 27, as well as his friends Daryll Jones, 17, Jordan O’Rourke, 17, Mark Jackson, 21 and another 17-year-old girl, who cannot be named.

The young girl arranged to meet Shaun and the others decided to accompany her.

In the early hours of June 3, Shaun met the teenager on grassland off Searby Road, Lincoln.

Moments later, he came face to face with the other five people.

Terrified Shaun gave them cigarettes, but told them he had no money. What followed was a vicious attack that began with a blow to the head with a glass bottle and took him to the ground.

He was then savagely beaten as he lay on the grass, pleading for mercy.

After the attack, Shaun was left with more than 41 separate injuries. During the ten-week trial, Jones was described as having “danced” on Shaun’s head.

It was also claimed he had taken a knife to Shaun’s back.

At one stage, Shelbourne and Jackson picked up Shaun off the ground. He begged them to stop hurting him and asked them to take him home.

But Shelbourne refused, saying it would then be obvious he had been attacked.

As they were holding him up, Jones was said to have knocked him to the ground again before continuing the attack.

The group then walked away, smoking his cigarettes and leaving him for dead.

Later on, passer-by Leslie Sampher came across Shaun’s prone body and shook him, asking if he was OK. He noticed Shaun did not have any shoes on and assumed he may have been drinking.

He could not have known then that Shaun’s trainers had been thrown into the road with the intention of making it look like a hit-and-run road accident.

He tried to rouse the 21-year-old a second time, but could not.

Meanwhile, the group returned to Shelbourne’s flat, where they began to concoct their cover story.

Jones bleached his trainers and his bloodied clothes were bagged up and dumped.

O’Rouke, Jackson, the 17-year-old girl and the 13-year-old returned to the field at about 4am, where they found Shaun dead.

The 17-year-old girl, who was later convicted of manslaughter, called 999.

She told police they had found the body and were interviewed as witnesses.

But after leaving the police station, Jones went into the City Square area of Lincoln, where he described what he had done to several people.

Over the next 48 hours, he told more people he had been involved in killing someone and even sent a text message saying “I could be getting done for murder”.

Meanwhile, after meeting the group and taking witness statements, police found that the 17-year-old girl’s phone number was in Shaun’s phone and put her at the scene.

And those who had been on the end of Jones’s casual admissions came forward to give statements.

Seven people were arrested on suspicion of murder on Saturday, June 5, and taken to separate police stations to be interviewed.

Some lied about what had happened and at first they explained their presence at the Ermine shops, as seen on CCTV, as a trip to get cash for a pizza. This was because they knew they would be on CCTV, as they knew the area well.

Forensic investigators then found that trainers seized from members of the group matched footprints that had caused marks on Shaun’s forehead.

While on remand in a young offenders’ centre, Jones told his mum in a phone call: “I’m going to plea bargain it to manslaughter and say I was drunk, we all ended up fighting, we all hit him.”

It was later determined that Shaun had died from a lack of oxygen, having been so badly beaten he was unable to raise his head up to breathe.

This is Lincolnshire

Two Nazi EDL Thugs in Portsmouth Courts in One Week!

By
July 19, 2013
community order, Racial Conviction, racially aggravated harassment

hylandandsilvesterHyland (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 harassment 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.

Lancaster Unity And Paulie @ Indymedia

EDL supporters fined for on-train racist abuse

By
July 18, 2013
EDL, English Defence League, Fined, Racial Conviction, racially aggravated public order offence, Racist Abuse

Three English Defence League supporters have been ordered to pay more than £350 each after being found guilty of subjecting rail passengers to serious racist abuse.

Tracey Hurley (33), Stuart Parr (28) and a 17-year old youth, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared at Wigan Magistrates’ Court on 20 January for trial.

The court heard that, on Friday 25 June last year, the trio had attended an EDL march in Bradford and had been on their way home when they travelled from Manchester Victoria to Wigan on a Northern Rail service. During the journey they became abusive and intimidating, subjecting several passengers to a torrent of racist abuse.

The abuse began when the three sang songs relating to the EDL and Taliban. At Salford Crescent an Asian man boarded the train and was immediately targeted by the group who shouted derogatory remarks about Allah to the man.

PC Tony McGibbon, of British Transport Police, said: “The abuse continued for some time and was directed at anyone on board the train who the three perceived to be anything other than white British. The behaviour of the three was offensive in the extreme, completely unacceptable and made everyone on the train feel incredibly uncomfortable.”

A passenger advised a member of rail staff who reported the behaviour of the three to BTP officers. After witnesses were spoken to the three where arrested and interviewed. During interviews they admitted having been at the EDL march and drinking heavily, but denied making any racist remarks or behaving in a racist manner.

PC McGibbon added: “Despite their initial denials, there is no doubt that these three behaved in a deeply offensive manner and subjected rail passengers to unacceptable and unwarranted abuse. BTP, the rail industry, and the wider criminal justice system, takes a dim view of anyone who behaves in such a way and the sentence handed out should serve as an example and warning to others.”

Hurley, of Kingsley Avenue, Goose Green, was fined £150, ordered to pay £200 costs and a £15 victim surcharge after being found guilty of a racially aggravated public order offence. Parr, of Golborne Place, Scholes, was fined £150, ordered to pay £200 costs and a £15 victim surcharge after being found guilty of a racially aggravated public order offence.

The youth, from Ashton-in-Makerfield, was fined £150, ordered to pay £200 costs and a £15 victim surcharge after being found guilty of a racially aggravated public order offence.

Lancaster Unity

Man photographed with stick moments before attack on Kingston Mosque is spared jail

By
July 18, 2013
criminal damage, Fined, Jailed, Public order offence, Racial Conviction, religiously-aggravated offence, Suspended sentence
Henry Hunter

Henry Hunter

A teenager found guilty of violent disorder following an attack on Kingston Mosque has been spared jail.

Henry Hunter, 19, was convicted last month after a gang of young men laid siege to a mosque in East Road, having previously attended a protest march against Muslim extremism, in November 2010.

But he was acquitted of racially aggravated criminal damage.

At Kingston Crown Court this morning, Hunter, from Ashford in Middlesex, was sentenced to six months at a young offenders’ institute, suspended for 12 months.

He was fined £1,000, given 250 hours of unpaid work, and handed a four month curfew order banning him from leaving his home on Saturday, Sunday and Monday nights.

Hunter was also given an exclusion order banning him from Kingston town centre for a year.

Before the sentence was passed, Hunter’s solicitor Michael Green told Recorder Roderick Fletcher that Hunter was a young man of previous good character who had not been in trouble before or after the mosque attack.

Mr Green said Hunter’s attitude had changed considerably in the two years since the attack, and he was now also holding down a job as a fork lift truck driver.

He contrasted Hunter’s police record with those of Martin Pottle and Alfie Wallace, who, along with David Morris, were all jailed for the attack in April.

Mr Green said Pottle had four previous public order offences and had been sentenced to six months in prison for affray in 2010.

Wallace had convictions for violence, robbery, criminal damage, assaulting a police officer and racially aggravated offences.

Mr Green also pointed to the fact Hunter handed himself into the police voluntarily, after his picture appeared on the front page of the Surrey Comet in the wake of the convictions of Pottle, Wallace and Morris.

Mr Green said: “This is a young man who handed himself into a police station after his picture was published in the Surrey Comet on the same day.

“His attitudes have changed considerably, his personal circumstances have changed considerably.

“He hopes to be given the opportunity to carry on working. Things have changed in terms of his employment, and in terms of his attitude.

“There are no new offences. The author of the pre-sentence report has spoken to the police and there is no suggestion he has been involved in any previous activity.”

Sentencing Hunter, Recorder Fletcher said: “You surrendered voluntarily to the police, you are currently in employment and you have a stable home environment.

“You’ve made important changes to your lifestyle and attitude in the past two years.”

“I’ve felt able to take a different course in your case to the course taken regarding Mr Pottle and Mr Wallace.

“Mr Pottle was substantially older than you, and Mr Wallace was marginally older than you.

“Both were convicted of two offences – violent disorder and religiously aggravated damage to property and both had relevant previous convictions.

“In these circumstances I’ve taken what could be considered as an unusual course in relation to your sentence.”

Surrey Comet

EDL yob fined for swearing at policeman

By
July 18, 2013
EDL, English Defence League, Fined, Public order offence
English Defence League clash with anti-fascist groups in Manchester.
English Defence League clash with anti-fascist groups in Manchester.

AN English Defence League supporter has been fined for his role in the organisation’s October protest in Manchester city centre.

Lee Howarth, 24, from Milnrow in Rochdale, was arrested at Piccadilly Station on October 10, after shouting abuse and swearing at police officers. Hundreds of EDL supporters gathered on the day to demonstrate.

Manchester magistrates’ court heard yesterday how Howarth, who is unemployed, persisted in swearing at police despite repeatedly being told to ‘calm down’.

With his fists raised, Howarth responded: ‘Think you’re a big man? Make me.’

Howarth was drunk at the time.

Philip Lythgoe, defending, said Howarth accepts he swore but that it was in response to being ‘pushed around by police’.

Chairman of the bench, Iain Simms, said: ‘Police are there to do a job and you don’t expect them to be shouted and sworn at.’

Howarth pleaded guilty to a public order offence of using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour and was fined a total of £100.

The EDL claims only to oppose radical Islam but supporters were seen at the October demonstrations making Nazi salutes.

Around 1,500 people joined a counter protest by Unite Against Fascism and the two sides faced-off for five hours, separated by police in riot gear and on horseback.

A total of 48 people were arrested during the day and the demonstration left the city with an £800,000 bill.

Manchester Evening News

Blackburn family hits out at ‘atrocious’ sentence given to attacker

By
July 18, 2013
actual bodily harm, EDL, English Defence League, Jailed
Bernard Holmes, EDL thug with multiple convictions for violence.

Bernard Holmes, EDL thug with multiple convictions for violence.

A FAMILY has hit out at the sentence given to a man who caused ‘catastrophic’ injuries when he threw two punches outside a Blackburn nightspot.

Bernard Holmes, 24, of Coleridge Street, Blackburn, is starting a two-year, four month sentence after admitting grievous bodily harm (GBH) on Sean Baxendale.

But after the case Mr Baxendale’s sister slammed the sentence, saying Holmes, who had previous convictions for common assault and actual bodily, harm, was a ‘dangerous man’ who should have got life.

Holmes threw two punches at Mr Baxendale, 44, outside Bar Ibiza, Mincing Lane, in what the court heard was an unprovoked attack on May 17.

The second strike connected and knocked him out.

Mr Baxendale suffered an extensive skull fracture and had to have bones removed in order to relieve pressure on his brain.

After months in hospital, he was left with a continuing brain injury, often getting confused over simple things.

Once a fit and active man, he had undergone a personality change following the attack, Preston Crown Court was told.

Mr Baxendale’s sister Maggie Garth said the whole family was devastated by the attack.

She said: “His personality has changed. Sean was lively and outgoing. Now he has not got the same patience. He had to learn and talk again.

“He will be living with it for the rest of his life.”

The attack on Mr Baxendale, and the killings of Adam Rogers and Christopher Folkes in Blackburn, prompted his nephew Kirk Bullen to launch the Make Lancashire Safer Campaign.

Maggie said the judge had undermined this battle: “I think the sentence handed out is atrocious and the courts have let us down.

“There are campaigns against violence. How can you can make a town safer if the courts aren’t helping us?

“The sentence has just knocked us all for six. To me, with his previous convictions, you should get life.”

After the case, Detective Constable Mark Cruise said: “This type of incident shows that even one punch can have horrific consequences.”

Holmes had stood trial on a more serious charge of GBH with intent, but a jury had found him not guilty .

The court was told that initially, another man (not the defendant) was seen arguing with Mr Baxendale outside the premises.

Stephen McNally, prosecuting, said that male punched Mr Baxendale to the face.

Holmes then crossed the road and struck out at Mr Baxendale.

A second blow knocked him to the ground, where he lay unconscious, having struck his head with some force as he fell.

Holmes had previous convictions including five acts of common assault and one of actual bodily harm.

Daniel King, defending, said: “The defendant says the extent of Mr Baxendale’s injuries have shocked him, in fact, appalled him.

“He had no intention to cause any serious injury.”

Lancashire Telegraph

Ex-soldier’s anti-Muslim rants on Facebook

By
July 18, 2013
criminal damage, EDL, English Defence League, Racial Conviction

EDL supporter Kenneth Holden posted anti-Muslim messages on Facebook.

EDL supporter Kenneth Holden posted anti-Muslim messages on Facebook.


A SOUTH Tyneside ex-soldier used his Facebook page to make racist comments about Muslims.

Kenneth Holden wrote the anti-Islamic messages after he started supporting the far-right English Defence League (EDL).

The 30-year-old was arrested after police were alerted to the abusive comments that were written on his personal page.

Holden, of Winskell Road, South Shields, pleaded guilty to two counts of sending an offensive message by a public communication network at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court last week.

Magistrates adjourned the case until yesterday for the probation service to write a report about him.

The report recommended that Holden be placed under the supervision of probation so his attitudes towards Muslims could be looked at.

Kevin Smallcombe, defending, asked the magistrates to go along with the report’s recommendation.

Holden was given a 12-month community order with supervision.

Jeanette Smith, prosecuting, told the court that the messages were brought to the police’s attention on April 21.

She said: “After receiving the report, officers searched Facebook, found the defendant’s page and saw the religiously abusive comments.

“He was arrested, and asked the police if it was because he didn’t like Muslims.

“In a second police interview, he posted the comments on his page and accepted that they could be seen as offensive to Muslims.”

At the first hearing, Mr Smallcombe said: “He was in the Army, and has some fairly strong views about Muslims.

“He supports some of the beliefs of the English Defence League and believes that the group was started after some Muslims spat on soldiers who were returning from Afghanistan.

“The comments on Facebook were of a religious nature.

“Some people say it is part of free speech, but by his guilty plea Mr Holden accepts he crossed the line.

“Most of our country has fair and tolerant views but some are extremists, on both sides of this argument.”

Holden was also sentenced for a separate criminal damage charge relating to his grandfather’s home.

The case goes back to June 28 when police found him in the house while his grandfather was in hospital.

He had broken into the home through the back door.

Holden was ordered to pay £60 compensation to his grandfather and £160 court costs for both cases.


Jarrow and Hebburn Gazette

Aylesbury judge rejects appeal by EDL yob

By
July 18, 2013
EDL, English Defence League, Fined

A RIGHT-wing extremist who was arrested on his way to the EDL march in Aylesbury last year for abusing police officers has had his appeal turned down.

Daryl Hobson appeared at Aylesbury Crown Court on Friday in a bid to get his sentence overturned.

Hobson, 44, was stopped by police last year on May 1, as he was holding a large union flag out the car window.

When stopped, Hobson insulted police officers, calling them ‘f***ing jobsworths’ and labelled one of them ‘Robocop’ and ‘a clown’.

Officers eventually lost their patience when he began chanting support for a man who killed three police officers.

When describing the incident, PC Ahmed Chaudry said: “The gentleman got out of the car and came up to me and said: ‘What do you want?’ in an aggressive manner.”

He said coachloads of EDL supporters began driving past, prompting Hobson to put his arms in the air and shout EDL slogans.

Police sergeants Luke Pillinger and Spencer Kervin were passing when they saw what was happening and stopped to help.

Sgt Kervin said: “He got within arm’s length and shouted behind me: ‘Harry Roberts is my friend. He kills coppers’, very loud.”

Roberts was a career criminal planning an armed robbery when his gang was approached by plain-clothes police officers in London, in 1966. Roberts shot dead two officers and an accomplice killed a third. Paul Fox, whose father Geoffrey was one of the three murdered police officers, lives in Aylesbury.

The officers arrested Hobson and he was tried and convicted. He was fined £100 and ordered to pay £400 in court costs.

At the hearing Hobson admitted using the chant about the policemen but said he was doing it towards his friends, not the police.

“It’s a song sung in football grounds up and down the country. Everybody has a good laugh at it. We started singing it on the way up (to Aylesbury) in the car. I wasn’t threatening at all.

“Pillinger was standing in front of me in an intimidating way like he was some kind of Robocop,” he said.

“I called him a Nazi. I called him a f***ing jobsworth and a clown. I said: ‘The only thing missing on you, chap, is a bright red nose and shoes’.”

Recorder Johannah Cutts QC said: “We are of the view that he did, indeed, use words and behaviour in such a way to cause alarm and harassment, if not distress, and for that reason we dismiss this appeal.”

She ordered Hobson to pay prosecution costs of £415.

The Bucks Herald

Man sentenced to 12 weeks imprisonment for his part in disturbance during EDL/UAF protests

By
July 18, 2013
criminal damage, EDL, English Defence League, Jailed, Public order offence

A man has been sentenced to 12 weeks imprisonment for his part in the disturbance which occurred during the English Defence League and Unite Against Fascism protests in the city centre.

Ryan Herbert (06/04/87) of Bland Road, New Parks, pleaded guilty at Leicester Magistrates Court last month to criminal damage to property and to a Section 4 public order offence. He was sentenced last week.

The incident happened on October 9, 2010, in Humberstone Gate East when damage was caused to windows at Fabrika Bar at the Arts Centre.

In Leicester