Matthew Heimbach during a 2017 court appearance.(Photo: Matt Stone/The C-J)

Matthew Heimbach during a 2017 court appearance.(Photo: Matt Stone/The C-J)

Matthew Heimbach has been sentenced to 38 days in jail after a Louisville judge revoked his probation.

Heimbach, leader of the white nationalist group Traditionalist Worker Party, was charged with misdemeanor harassment in Jefferson District Court after he repeatedly pushed a woman at a Donald Trump campaign rally in Louisville in 2016.

Heimbach pleaded guilty to an amended charge of second-degree disorderly conduct in July 2017, agreeing to attend anger management classes.

The Jefferson County Attorney’s Office moved to revoke Heimbach’s probation after he was charged in Indiana earlier this year.

Courier Journal

Police said he “crossed the line between free speech and the abuse of an entire group of people based on their ethnicity”

A 48-year-old man has been sentenced to a year in jail after making a speech aimed at stirring up racial hatred at a rally in Westminster.

Jonathan Bedford-Turner, of Rudgard Lane, Lincoln, was charged with inciting racial hatred on October 3 last year.

He was first arrested after making a speech in Whitehall with the “intention to stir up racial hatred” on July 4, 2015.

After pleading not guilty at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on October 30 last year, he was found guilty on Monday (May 14) by a unanimous verdict at Southwark Crown Court.

He was jailed for 12 months but will serve half of the term in prison. He has been warned he will be at risk of licence recall if he re-offends.

Detective Sergeant Matt Hearing, investigating officer from Metropolitan Police’s Public Order and Resources Unit, said Bedford-Turner’s “intention was to stir up racial hatred”.

He added: “Bedford-Turner gave a speech in Whitehall that crossed the line between free speech and wholesale abuse of an entire group of people based on their ethnicity.”
Get West London

Jeremy Bedford-Turner called for England to be freed from ‘Jewish control’ at London rally

Jeremy Bedford-Turner. The prosecutor said that he was ‘obsessed’ with and ‘despised’ Jewish people. Photograph: Sam Blewett/PA

Jeremy Bedford-Turner. The prosecutor said that he was ‘obsessed’ with and ‘despised’ Jewish people. Photograph: Sam Blewett/PA

A far-right army veteran has been found guilty of stirring up racial hatred after the Crown Prosecution Service was pressured to reconsider its decision to not bring charges against him.

Jeremy Bedford-Turner, 48, called for his “soldiers” to liberate England from “Jewish control” in an address outside Downing Street and blamed Jews for issues ranging from both world wars to Jack the Ripper.

The CPS declined to prosecute after an initial complaint but reconsidered the decision after a group brought a legal challenge at the high court.

Bedford-Turner now faces up to seven years’ imprisonment after a jury at Southwark crown court on Monday found him guilty of one count of stirring up racial hatred after two hours of deliberation.

“Nice knowing you, chaps,” he told his supporters before entering the dock.

The 15-minute speech was made at a rally against Jewish neighbourhood watch group Shomrim in Whitehall on 4 July 2015.

Bedford-Turner, who served for 12 years in the army, and speaks Pashtu and Arabic, told the crowd: “Let’s free England from Jewish control. Let’s liberate this land. Listen, soldiers, listen to me. It’s time to liberate our country.”

Dozens of his supporters attended his two-day trial. Under cross-examination, he admitted that he wanted all Jews to leave the UK.

Louis Mably QC, prosecuting, said the defendant was obsessed with Jewish people and that he despised them.

The Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) previously said it took the “unusual step” of bringing a judicial review after prosecutors declined to charge Bedford-Turner after an initial complaint.

“CAA was partly motivated by a growing concern that the CPS is failing to take antisemitic crime seriously,” a CAA spokesman said.

The CPS then said in March last year that it would get a more senior lawyer to review the case, and decided to press charges.

The case of Bedford-Turner, of no fixed abode, was adjourned until Monday afternoon when the judge will decide whether to sentence him at a later date.

The Guardian

A third member of a white nationalist organization has pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge that carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Henry Lambert Baird, 50, of the Allentown area, entered his plea Wednesday in U.S. Middle District Court.

He admitted taking part in planning meetings in the Harrisburg area with undercover FBI employees and on two occasions in 2017 participating in the transportation of imitation crystal methamphetamine and machine gun parts from Pennsylvania to Maryland.

Baird pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine.

It is the same charge to which Joshua Michael Steever of Manville, N.J., and Connor Drew Dikes, of Silver Spring, Md., pleaded last month. It carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years.

Assistant U.S. Attorney and defense attorney E. J. Rymsza estimated Baird’s sentence will be in the range of 17 to 22 years.

Steever was the founder of the Aryan Strikeforce and Dikes was the sergeant of arms of the white nationalist organization, which advocates violence as a necessary tool to achieve its political goals.

Rocktashel, in reciting the prosecution’s evidence, said Baird told the undercover employees he had tried to kill a man hanging around strikeforce members but the individual pushed his arm just as he fired.

The prosecutor said evidence also would show Baird was present for a 2016 discussion about having a terminally ill individual conceal a bomb and detonate it among protestors at a planned white nationalist rally in Harrisburg.

Rymsza would not let his client admit to the attempted killing or bomb discussion, saying they were beyond the scope of the conspiracy charge.

Baird is one of six men indicted as the result of an investigation involving undercover FBI employees who hired strikeforce members to be the “muscle” for the transportation of methamphetamine from the Pennsylvania to Maryland on four occasions in 2016 and 2017.

Strikeforce members were encouraged to use some of their “pay” to buy gift cards that later could be used to purchase weapons, Rocktashel said.

Among the weapons members expressed interest in buying were an Uzi, AK-47 and handguns, he said.

Another defendant, Justin Daniel Lough of Waynesboro, Va., is trying to have his federal indictment dismissed on the basis of outrageous government conduct.

He accuses the government with conceiving, planning and directing the operation in violation of basic principles of due process law.

Rocktashel rejects the allegations, saying well before the undercover investigation the FBI received information about strikeforce activity involving firearms and drugs in Potter County.

He also has stated at each of the three guilty pleas those involved were warned they were participating in criminal activity and were free to walk away.

Baird remains detained pending sentencing.

Penn Live


Four men have today been found guilty after posting extreme right wing stickers across a campus of a city centre university. A fifth man was acquitted.

The four were caught on CCTV on the evening of 9 July 2016 posting the stickers on signage at Aston University with the intention of inciting racial hatred. The stickers were discovered by security staff two days later and reported to police who started a hate crime investigation.

On the same day in Birmingham city centre, a Black Lives Matter demonstration was also being held.

The jury at Birmingham Crown Court took just over four hours to return the guilty verdicts.

The group comprises:

Chad Williams-Allen, aged 26 from Tantany Lane, West Bromwich and Gary Jack, aged 21, from Heathland Road, Shard End.

Two other men also stood trial but cannot be named for legal reasons.

They are due to be sentenced on 1 June.

Detective Chief Superintendent Matt Ward, who heads the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit, said: “We are committed to tackling all forms of extremism which has the potential to threaten public safety and security.”

Anyone who sees or hears something that could be terrorist-related should act on their instincts and call the police in confidence on 0800 789 321. In an emergency, always dial 999. Visit gov.uk/ACT for more information, including how to report extremist or terrorist content that is online.

West Midlands Police

A Charlottesville judge is handing down a guilty verdict in a case tied to violence during the Unite the Right rally last summer.

Richard Wilson Preston went before Judge Richard Moore in Charlottesville Circuit Court Tuesday, May 8. The 53-year-old Maryland man decided to not contest the single felonious charge of firing a weapon within 1,000 feet of a school.

The commonwealth said it would have presented evidence from an eyewitness during a three-day trial, which was scheduled to get underway Wednesday, May 9. The witness reportedly saw Preston raise his gun to take aim at Corey Long, a Culpeper County man accused of using a flame-throwing device on August 12, 2017.

Video footage from the ACLU of Virginia shows a man believed to be Preston firing a pistol during clashes between Unite the Right rally supporters and protesters near Charlottesville’s Emancipation Park.

Preston was arrested in Towson, Maryland on August 26, 2017. He reportedly has ties to the Ku Klux Klan.

A judge had previously set bond at $50,000 for Preston, but barred him from leaving the state or possessing a gun.

Preston is set to be sentenced Wednesday. He faces up to 10 years of jail time and a maximum fine of $100,000.

NBC



At 4 p.m., the jury found Alex Michael Ramos guilty of malicious wounding. At 5:30 p.m., it recommended a prison sentence of six years with no fine.

On Thursday, 33-year-old Ramos, of Jackson, Georgia, became the second person convicted in the bloody group beating of DeAndre Harris after the failed Unite the Right rally last summer. On Tuesday, 22-year-old Jacob Goodwin was found guilty of malicious wounding, and a jury recommended a sentence of 10 years with the option of suspending some of the time.

The attack in the Market Street Parking Garage left Harris with a gash in his head that required eight staples, a chipped tooth and a broken wrist.

Proceedings in Charlottesville Circuit Court moved quickly in the second day of testimony, and the prosecution called a medical expert and a detective to the stand to talk about the injuries Harris suffered on Aug. 12.

Evan Pryse, a nurse practitioner from Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital’s emergency department, said he examined Harris’ injuries after Harris took a decontamination shower to rid his body of any chemical irritants.

Pryse said he used eight staples to close the wound on Harris’ head and put his wrist in a splint after determining Harris had a broken ulna. Though Harris reportedly said he fell awkwardly on his wrist, Pryse said the injury was not consistent with a fall and looked more similar to a defensive-type “nightstick” wound. But Pryse said he did not have a definitive idea of how the break occurred.

While examining Harris for a concussion, Pryse said Harris seemed confused about questions and had a hard time understanding some of his injuries.

Charlottesville police Detective Declan Hickey described treating Harris right after he got out of the parking garage. Hickey, a former combat medic, said he kept trying to engage Harris to keep him from passing out. He said Harris seemed to be in shock and told him that he had been hit in the head several times.

The Monday following the rally, Hickey opened an investigation into the matter and said he identified Ramos as a suspect from a combination of confidential tips, social media tips and consultation with local law enforcement in Ramos’ home state of Georgia.

Walking the jury through videos of the assault, Hickey pointed out where the assault began and when Ramos jumped in at the end to land a punch on Harris’ head. Ramos’ hand appears to be wrapped in a blue plaid shirt, he said.

While looking through Facebook posts later, Hickey said he came across one that reportedly was written by Ramos. The post reads, “We stomped some ass…getting some was f***ing fun.”

Hickey said Ramos seemed remorseful after his arrest.

Through the testimony, Ramos, wearing a white dress shirt, sat quietly and occasionally took notes. He never reacted to any of the testimony or video clips.

Both sides rested their cases before 1 p.m. Ramos waived his right to take the stand, and his attorney, Jake Joyce, declined to present any evidence.

In her closing argument, Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Nina Antony asked the jury to remember that Ramos inserted himself into the altercation. She said Harris already was lying on the ground and being hit by other people when Ramos decided to throw a punch.

“Instead of moving on, we saw Mr. Ramos sprinting in,” Antony said. “He catapults himself into the fray.”

Calling it “classic assault and battery,” Joyce said his client only threw one punch — unlike some of the others charged in the case who used weapons. With a “battle royal” happening in the garage, Joyce said, there were a lot of taunts and provocation thrown around.

Joyce said Harris did not deserve what happened to him. But he asked the jury to think about Ramos’ actions in comparison to the other actors in the assault.

“I’m not asking you to find him not guilty,” said Joyce. “He is guilty of assault and battery.”

Deliberations took 35 minutes.

Ramos will be sentenced formally on Aug. 23.
Daily Progress

After a little more than an hour of deliberations, a jury on Tuesday found Jacob S. Goodwin guilty of malicious wounding in the group beating of DeAndre Harris following the Unite the Right rally last summer.

Goodwin, 22, and his mother mouthed, “I love you,” to each other after the jury’s verdict was read to the court.

The jury recommended 10 years in prison with the option of some suspended time, a $20,000 fine and empathy training. A formal sentencing hearing was set for Aug. 23.

Before the jury left to deliberate a second time, Commonwealth’s Attorney Joe Platania asked the jury to come back with a sentence that adequately addresses Goodwin’s behavior that day in the Market Street Parking Garage.

“They kick him, they hit him and they beat him while he’s on the ground,” said Platania. “It was an attack.”

“He has yet to express any regret for his actions that day,” he said. “And I would submit he has none.”

Goodwin’s attorney simply stated that his client was young, had no criminal history and made a mistake.

Starting where the case left off Monday, in his cross-examination of Harris on Tuesday, Woodard presented a different picture of the altercation that left Harris bloody and bruised. Woodard said the incident started after Harris hit Harold Crews with a heavy black flashlight. Harris said he never hit the man, but instead, aimed for the man’s flagpole.

Woodard said Harris then ran into the garage to “start a fight.” Again, Harris disagreed with the attorney’s version of events.

“No, I was trying to run away,” said Harris, who reiterated that he never intentionally ran at anyone.

Woodard then played a video of the events and Harris became visibly upset when the attorney said Harris was perfectly fine, while lying on the ground.

“Dude, I’m not perfectly fine,” Harris said. “I had just fallen down, bumped into someone and been maced.”

The prosecution also called Evan Pryse, a nurse practitioner, to the stand to speak to Harris’ injuries when he came into the Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital emergency department on Aug. 12. After Harris took a decontamination shower because he was covered in a chemical substance, Pryse said he examined Harris and immediately addressed the more severe injuries, which included a large gash on his head that required eight staples and a broken wrist.

Pryse said he suspected there was a possibility Harris had a concussion because Harris was slow to respond to questions. He also was concerned about a potential brain injury, but ultimately decided there was no need to do a CT scan, he said.

Harris reportedly told Pryse that he thought he hurt his arm when he fell on it, but Pryse said the location of the break did not seem consistent with a fall. Because only the ulna (the bone on the outside of the forearm) was broken and not the radius (the bone on the inside), Pryse said it did not look like a typical injury from a fall.

When Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Nina Antony suggested entering Harris’ entire medical record into evidence to give the jury the whole picture of his injuries, Woodard at first objected and said it would be “too much information” for the jurors. It was ultimately entered into evidence.

Charlottesville Sheriff James Brown and city police Detective Declan Hickey both testified that they found Harris right after the assault and attempted to render him aid. Hickey, a former combat medic, said Harris seemed confused and in shock.

The defense’s only witness was Goodwin himself, who said he was “terrified” and thought he would “perish” if he did not use self-defense.

Goodwin said he saw someone hit Crews with an object that looked like a weapon. Watching a commotion near the garage, Goodwin said he then saw someone come running at him.

“I believed I was being attacked,” Goodwin said.

Goodwin said he kicked at the man — identified later as Harris — several times to keep him away. When Goodwin kicked Harris’ backpack, he said Harris tripped and rolled toward Goodwin and began to get up again. Goodwin said he kicked Harris again because Harris “lunged at him” and “kept getting up.”

“I was terrified,” said Goodwin. “I had never been in a riot in all my life.”

In her closing statement, Antony told the jury they would have to decide if Goodwin ran into the garage to protect people from Harris or if he ran in “to do battle.”

She said the videos speak for themselves and show that Harris was scrambling to get up and run away from the people in the garage. She said Goodwin inserted himself in the situation and repeatedly kicked Harris while Harris was on the ground.

“DeAndre hasn’t touched him,” Antony said. “At no point does Mr. Goodwin move away.”

On the contrary, in his closing statement, Woodard said Harris was looking to pick a fight. He said a person holding a shield, like Goodwin, does not attack people, but a person holding a flashlight does.

“They want you to convict this man because he’s a white man and DeAndre is a black man,” Woodard said, drawing ire from the prosecution and a reprimand from the judge.

Woodard reiterated that Harris was “out of control” and Goodwin was defending himself.

Daily Progress

Gang attacked man at house in Lincoln Boulevard with weapons and broken bottle

Jonathan West, who has a history of violence, was jailed for attacking a man at this house in Grimsby (Image: Grimsby Telegraph)

Jonathan West, who has a history of violence, was jailed for attacking a man at this house in Grimsby (Image: Grimsby Telegraph)

Three menacing vigilantes hurled bricks, nails and fencing at a man outside his home and one of them viciously attacked him with a baseball bat.

He also hurled a broken bottle at him after trying to slash him with it, a court heard.

The three troublemakers spray-painted “nonce” across a window at his boarded-up home after midnight before confronting him.

Jonathan West, 26, of Redbourne Road, Grimsby, admitted assault, causing actual bodily harm, on November 10 and affray.

Jeremy Evans, prosecuting, told Grimsby Crown Court that West and two other males went to a man’s home and spray-painted the word “nonce” across a bay window and directly underneath on chipboard.

The premises in Lincoln Boulevard, Grimsby, were boarded up after previous attacks.

The occupier was watching TV in the rear kitchen area after midnight when he heard a noise and got dressed.

He went outside and seized West, who had a spray can and a baseball bat, and asked him: “What are you doing?”

West swung the bat towards the man, who put up his arm to block the blows but suffered bruises.

“Police received several calls from members of the public aware of a disturbance going on,” said Mr Evans.

The intruders — one of them wearing a motorcycle helmet — pulled nails from fence panels and threw whatever they had at the occupier.

He was able to prise the baseball bat away from West, who picked up an already broken bottle and tried to slash out with it.

He threw it and it hit the man, causing a skin wound. Masonry and bits of fence were thrown by all three.

The occupier retreated back into his home and objects continued to be thrown.

One of the males, not West, made threats to stab the man and took exception to the baseball bat being taken.

There was a confrontation before the troublemakers retreated but West was arrested later in the morning.

He had convictions for 59 previous offences dating back to 2002, including wounding, affray, burglary and breaching an antisocial behaviour order.

Dale Brook, mitigating, said West had been in custody since November 11 and had no intention of approaching or contacting the victim.

He was keen to receive help to stay out of trouble.

There was a history between West and the man involved.

West was jailed for 10 months but, because of his time in custody, was expected to be released shortly.

He was given a five-year restraining order.
Grimsby Telegraph

Serial criminals Steven Danvers, aged 30, and 28-year-old Benjamin Rogers jailed for four and a half years

Two thugs have been jailed for robbing a city shop with a machete.

Serial offenders Steven Danvers, aged 30, and 28-year-old Benjamin Rogers raided the convenience store to grab £280.

But Rogers at least had little chance of getting away with it as he was a regular customer, Plymouth Crown Court heard.

Jailing both men for four and a half years, Judge Peter Johnson told the pair: “Both of you have very poor records. You hatched a plan that a robbery would take place at this convenience store.

“You Rogers carried out reconnaissance and Danvers you used a knife, a very threatening machete and you got away with a reasonable sum of money.”

He ruled that Danvers and Rogers were dangerous, meaning they will not be released at the usual half-way point of their sentence.

They will only be set free after serving two-thirds of the term, at three years, and then only if the parole board deems they no longer pose a public danger.

Both will have two-year extended licence periods upon their release.

Danvers and Rogers, both of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to robbery at the West Hoe Convenience Store on January 4.

Danvers also admitted having a bladed article.

The court heard that the two men entered the store just after 8pm with Danvers carrying the machete.

They threatened the male cashier with the weapon before escaping with the cash.

Ali Rafati, for Danvers, said his client was vulnerable.

He added the defendant had mental health difficulties and ended up sleeping rough in all weathers.

Mr Rafati said: “The robbery lasted about 30 seconds. No harm was caused to anyone. If any resistance had been offered he would have turned on his heels.

“He wanted money so he could drink and carry on living on the streets.”

Steven Danvers (left) and Benjamin Rogers, also known as Clancy

Steven Danvers (left) and Benjamin Rogers, also known as Clancy

Michael Green, for Rogers, also known as Clancy, said: “It is hardly the most sophisticated robbery. He was a regular there and they would know him and recognise him.”

Mr Green said that his client also had trouble with mental health problems and finding a settled address.

He added: “He is 28 years old and since 2010 until August last year he was in prison or at a psychiatric hospital. That is the sad reality.”

Plymouth Herald