Racist who filled Muslims’ shoes with ham as they prayed in a mosque walks free from court

By
July 19, 2013
Racial Conviction, religiously aggravated harassment, Suspended sentence

A racist thug who stuffed ham into the shoes of Muslim worshippers at a mosque has escaped a jail term.

Jamie Knowlson, 30, also draped slices of the meat – which Muslims are banned from eating – on railings outside the mosque as his victims prayed inside.

He was then caught on CCTV hurling abuse at worshippers after they confronted him over his sacrilegious act.

Islam teaches its followers to avoid pig meat as it makes them impure and unclean.

Knowlson initially told police the stunt was a drunken joke but later admitted that he was fully aware of the offence his actions would cause.

He pleaded guilty to causing racially or religiously aggravated harassment and could have been jailed for up to two years.

But walked free from Bristol Crown Court with a suspended six-month prison sentence because he had returned to the mosque to apologise for his actions.

Sentencing, Her Honour Judge Carol Hagen said: ‘It is difficult to imagine a more offensive incident.

‘Not only the fixing of meat to railings but aggravated, in my view, that members of the mosque were inside praying at the time.’

The court heard that Knowlson, from Kingswood, Bristol, targeted the Al-Baseera mosque in the St Judes area of the city which is used by more than 2,000 Somali Muslims every week.

He crept to the mosque from nearby Redwood House homeless shelter on January 9 this year – putting ham in footwear and on railings outside the building as worshippers prayed.

CCTV footage showed him returning to the shelter, where he was confronted by the mosque’s caretaker Abdi Djmaa.

As Mr Djmaa returned to the mosque he heard shouts of ‘the next visit will be harder’, ‘bad meat’ and ‘girls’ coming from the direction of the building

David Hunter, prosecuting at Bristol Crown Court, said it had been a premeditated attack specifically targeted at the Muslim community.

The court heard that shamed Knowlson had returned to the mosque to apologise after the hate crime.

Ian Halliday, defending, said: ‘This was a brutal, misconceived, drunken prank.’

He returned to the mosque and offered his apologies in person.

Knowlson sat in tears as he was handed a six-month suspended sentence and 150 hours of unpaid work.

A second man is due to stand trial in connection with the incident later this month.

After sentencing, Mubarak Mohamud, one of the three imams at the Al-Baseera mosque, claimed the inflammatory act had upset the Muslim community.

He said: ‘There wasn’t anger, people were more upset and shocked.

‘We don’t eat pork and we are banned by our faith from eating it, as it makes us impure when we are going to our prayers.

‘We don’t hate the man – we just suppose he doesn’t know us.’

Knowlson refused to comment after leaving court.

Daily Mail

Landlord who served EDL loses his licence

By
July 19, 2013
EDL, English Defence League

A PUB landlord who defied police by selling alcohol to English Defence League members before their Bolton town centre demonstration last March has lost his licence.

Simon Kirkpatrick had his sentence increased after his appeal against his conviction failed.

Bolton Crown Court, sitting at Bury Magistrates’ Court, heard that Kirkpatrick opened the Stags Head in Deane at 9am on March 20 last year and allowed drinks to be sold.

Pubs had been reminded of their licensing conditions ahead of the EDL rally as part of a large-scale operation to keep public order in the town centre.

Last September, Kirkpatrick, aged 39, of Haynes Street, Morris Green, was convicted of displaying alcohol for sale and knowingly allowing the sale of alcohol otherwise in accordance with his licence.

The court heard that the pub had been visited by police two days before the rally to remind Kirkpatrick that he was not allowed to sell alcohol before 11am.

The court heard that EDL supporters were at the pub on March 20, drinking and chanting and being “rowdy”.

Licensing officer PC Natalie Dolan told the court that she saw Kirkpatrick laughing and “in good spirits”.

Police had to organise buses to take the EDL supporters into the town centre because of concern about them walking through Deane.

The court refused Kirkpatrick’s appeal, and he must now forfeit his personal licence. He was also ordered to pay £625 costs.

Bolton News

English Defence League duo given CRASBOs – Aylesbury

By
July 19, 2013
CRASBO, EDL, English Defence League, Public order offence

edl_mergeTwo men who took part in a violent demonstration in Aylesbury town centre in May are the first members of the English Defence League (EDL) to be given a Criminal Anti-Social Behaviour Order (CRASBO).

Richard Price, aged 41, of Stonehouse Lane, Birmingham (photo top), and Collum Keyes, aged 23, from Somerton Drive, Birmingham (photo bottom), were each granted a 10-year CRASBO at Aylesbury Crown Court today (17/12), after admitting public order offences stemming from an EDL demonstration on 1 May 2010.

The CRASBO was applied for jointly by Thames Valley Police and the National Domestic Extremism Unit, a national police unit.

Price admitted a charge of causing threatening behaviour while Keyes admitted a charge of disorderly conduct. At today’s court hearing they were issued with CRASBOs, which prevents them from attending any public meeting organised by the EDL. In addition Price was given a 12-week prison sentence while Keyes was ordered to pay a £150 fine and £85 court costs.

At the sentencing hearing, Judge The Lord Parmoor said: “On the evidence before me the only reason for this march and demonstration was to provoke some reaction in the local community, in particular the local Muslim community.

“Both Mr Keyes and Mr Price paid good money to travel to Aylesbury to partake in this event. I am persuaded that their only reason for doing so was to provoke, encourage and enjoy disorder.”

PC Mike Ellis, Thames Valley Police’s Anti-Social Behaviour Coordinator, who led the CRASBO case, said: “This is a clear signal to those who use violence and disorder to further their extreme and racist views to intimidate and create fear within minority communities.

“Their behaviour will not be tolerated within the Thames Valley Police area, and we will use whatever measures are available to us to tackle such people.”

Det Con Andy Haworth, of the National Domestic Extremism Unit, said: “We’re really pleased with today’s result which prevents two violent criminals from using Defence League demonstrations as a forum to commit violence and cause distress to others.

“While the Defence Leagues are legitimate protest organisations, violence has been a persistent feature of their demonstrations, and we hope the success of today’s application will prevent that violence.

“We will work to support all police forces with CRASBO applications against any who persistently commits criminal acts at Defence League demonstrations, regardless of whether they profess to support the Defence League or oppose it, in order to ensure future demonstrations are peaceful and lawful.”

The CRASBOs oblige Price and Keyes:
Not knowingly to organise, travel to, participate in, or control any march, demonstration, protest or similar event in the open air which takes place more than 10 miles from the centre of Birmingham.

Not knowingly to send or attempt to send any article, letter, fax or email that refers to, or seeks to promote or publicise, any march, demonstration, protest or similar event in the open air which takes place more than 10 miles from the centre of Birmingham.

Thames Valley Police

Four deny charges after city’s English Defence League march

By
July 19, 2013
EDL, English Defence League, possessing an offensive weapon, Racial Conviction, racially aggravated abusive words

FOUR men arrested on suspicion of causing disorder on the day the English Defence League protested in Leicester have appeared in court.

Officers arrested 17 people after trouble broke out on October 9 when 1,000 EDL members staged a demonstration in the city centre.

Yesterday, at Leicester Magistrates’ Court, Mark Bircham (23), of Boulter Crescent, Wigston, denied using threatening, abusive or disorderly behaviour and assaulting a police officer. He will face trial before magistrates on January 11.

Scott Kervin (30), of Castle Place, Abergele, Wales, denied having an offensive weapon, a pair of gloves containing ball bearings. He also denied using threatening, abusive or disorderly behaviour and will face trial before the city’s magistrates on January 18

Mark Turnbull (38), of Rawling Road, Gateshead, denied using threatening, abusive or disorderly behaviour and resisting a police sergeant. His trial will take place before magistrates on January 18.

Lee Whitby (27), of Harley Place, Stoke-on-Trent, denied using racially aggravated abusive words and will stand trial on November 26.

All four were released on bail on the condition they do not attend any meetings of the English Defence League, The Scottish Defence League or the Welsh Defence League or attend any anti-Islamic meetings of more than three people.

After the hearings, a Leicestershire police spokesman said: “Investigations into other offences that took place that day are still ongoing as a team of officers look into crimes reported during and after the protests.

“Detectives are speaking to witnesses and examining CCTV evidence in a bid to identify more offenders.”

This is Leicester

Pair locked up over EDL demo near Eureka

By
July 19, 2013
ASBO, EDL, English Defence League, Jailed

A 21-year-old Rochdale man and a 16-year-old youth from Stockport have been locked up by a judge for their part in disturbances involving English Defence League supporters at the Eureka Museum in Halifax.

Michael Kelly, of Sykes Court, Rochdale, and the teenager, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, had travelled to West Yorkshire in July last year for an EDL demonstration in the car park of the popular family attraction.

Bradford Crown Court heard that although it was a Saturday the museum itself was closed to the public and only some staff were on duty that afternoon.

Prosecutor David McGonigal told the court how the Unite Against Facism group were due to hold a counter demonstration about a mile away, but police became concerned about possible clashes when about 50 EDL supporters headed towards the King Cross Road area.

A bus was provided to take the EDL followers to the Eureka car park and Mr McGonigal said it was at about 1.30pm when between 200 and 300 EDL demonstrators broke through the fence at the museum and confronted a small number of police officers.

Mr McGonigal said rocks and bottles were thrown towards officers who were in their normal uniforms and the crowd was shouting and gesticulating aggressively.

Staff inside the museum were frightened by the incident and some of the crowd made their way around to the side of the museum where industrial-size bins were overturned and damage caused to fencing.

Mr McGonigal said the demonstrators were eventually contained by officers in riot gear, police dogs and mounted police.

Kelly, who had earlier been filmed in Sowerby Bridge wearing a skull mask, was one of those who went through the broken fence into the museum grounds and Mr McGonigal alleged that at one stage he could be seen charging towards the police officers.

Kelly, who has a previous conviction for threatening behaviour at a football match, admitted violent disorder on the basis that he had no thrown anything at the police himself.

Kelly, who was arrested in December, said he was not a member of the EDL but had wanted to take part in a peaceful manner.

He said he was part of the crowd and blamed the police for “hemming” them in at the car park.

He said he wasn’t charging at the police, but simply trying to get out of the museum grounds.

Kelly was jailed for nine months by Judge Peter Benson who also imposed a two-year anti-social behaviour order on the defendant.

The 16-year-old, who also admitted violent disorder, was shown on CCTV footage kicking at the fence before it is broken down.

At the time the youngster was wearing a scarf over his face.

The teenager was sentenced to a six-month detention and training order and he was also made the subject of a two-year ASBO

Halifax Courier

Mansfield man gets eight weeks in jail for role in EDL protests.

By
July 19, 2013
criminal damage, EDL, English Defence League, Jailed

A MANSFIELD man has been jailed for eight weeks for causing criminal damage during English Defence League and Unite Against Fascism protests in the Leicester.

John Kavanagh, 22, of Fritchley Court, pleaded guilty at Leicester Magistrates’ Court to two charges of criminal damage.

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

Damage was also caused to police barriers placed on Humberstone Gate

This is Nottingham

Businessman filmed throwing missiles on EDL march

By
July 19, 2013
affray, EDL, English Defence League

A businessman who hurled missiles as he marched through Bristol with the English Defence League handed himself into the authorities when he realised he was a wanted man.

Barry Johnson was one of hundreds of marchers who took part in the high-profile demonstration through the city centre in July last year.

Bristol Crown Court heard how he was caught on film by a cameraman and images were later posted online by Avon and Somerset police in a bid to track him down.

When he saw the images Johnson travelled from his home in Peterborough to admit his involvement in the incident.

The 29-year-old from Poplar Avenue, Peterborough, pleaded guilty to affray when he appeared in court. Judge Martin Picton told him: “Throwing missiles is clearly dangerous. Someone could have been hurt.” The judge handed Johnson a three- month prison sentence which was suspended for a year. He also fined him £250 and ordered him to pay £85 towards court costs.

Richard Posner, prosecuting, said: “On July 14 in Bristol there was a demonstration and march by the English Defence League in the centre of Bristol.

“The group was formed in 2009 and it claims to oppose Islamic extremism. It chose to assemble in Bristol and march. That led to tension with United Against Fascism, and there was anticipated to be tension between the two groups.”

He added: “Police went to the city centre to quell disorder.”

Mr Posner told the court that police filmed Johnson in the thick of the crowd, throwing two missiles in the direction of the UAF supporters with no apparent provocation.

He said it was impossible to say if anyone was struck and there was no other violence taking place at the time of the incident. The judge was shown the police footage which captured the offence. Johnson was in the middle of a crowd of jostling and gesticulating EDL marchers.

Mr Posner said: “There was an intention to identify people and the defendant was identified in that way. “He handed himself in. He had seen himself on the Avon and Somerset police website, which asked Do you know who these people are?”

When Johnson handed himself in police interviewed him but he made no comment about the incident. His criminal record revealed he had previous convictions for football- related violent disorder.

Johnson represented himself in court but, other than handing the judge a letter, said nothing in his defence. The judge confirmed he had read a pre-sentence report from the probation service which revealed Johnson ran his own business with his brother.

South West Business

Drunken Bristol father of six who groped a teenage girl gets suspended sentence

By
July 19, 2013
sex abuse, Suspended sentence

A FOOTBALL hooligan who groped a 14-year-old girl on a bus has been handed a suspended prison sentence.

Drunken Kevin Jenkins, 45, sexually assaulted the schoolgirl as she made her way home from the ice rink in Bristol city centre.

Jenkins asked the teenager to eat a Malteser out of his hand before grabbing her thighs and buttocks as she walked past, Bristol Magistrates’ Court heard.

The court was told the assault, which Jenkins admitted at an earlier hearing, had left the girl feeling withdrawn, frightened and embarrassed.

Father-of-six Jenkins targeted the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, at 10.45pm on January 16 after drinking heavily with a friend.

Neil Treharne, prosecuting, said Jenkins put his leg across the gangway of the bus to stop the girl passing then told her she could only get by if she ate one of his Maltesers.

When she refused, he asked her to eat it from his hand before forcing the chocolate into her mouth, the court heard.

Mr Treharne said that as he allowed the teenager to pass him, Jenkins rubbed the girl’s thighs and buttocks with his hands before telling her to “jog on”.

The court was told the teenager now suffers with anxiety and had felt “physically sick” on seeing Jenkins at a bus stop since the attack.

Mr Treharne said Bristol Rovers supporter Jenkins, of Mancroft Avenue, Lawrence Weston, had 17 offences to his name and had been made the subject of a football banning order.

Victoria Ellis, defending, said her client was ashamed and disgusted by his actions. She said: “He has six children and if something like this happened to one of his own daughters he would be horrified. He has a very sketchy memory of that night and the only way he can explain his behaviour is that he had consumed an extremely large amount of alcohol.”

Magistrates handed Jenkins a 10-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, and ordered him to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work.

He will be added to the sex offenders’ register and was told to take part in a 12-month community order, attend a programme for substance-related crime, pay £250 in compensation to the girl and £60 court costs.


This is Bristol

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