Bradley Halton joined Islamophobic chanting and was heard saying ‘f**king P**i c**ts’
A convicted drug dealer who shouted ‘vile and disgraceful’ racist abuse during a violent protest has been jailed.
Bradley Halton attended the ‘Enough is Enough’ rally in Whitehall on July 31, organised by far-right leader Danny Tommo, real name Daniel Thomas, after the spread of misinformation about the identity of a knifeman accused of stabbing three schoolgirls in Southport on July 29.
The 28-year-old, of Augustus Close in Brentford, showed no emotion as he was jailed for 16 months at Inner London Crown Court on Tuesday, August 20. The judge said Halton’s racist language was ‘profoundly painful’ for those who heard it, and ‘an affront to the values of decency and affects everyone in our society’ as she chose not to suspend his sentence.
Despite conditions being imposed by police, the crowd broke out of an agreed enclosure on Richmond Terrace, becoming ‘noisier and angrier’ when a man climbed a barrier and a smoke flare was thrown at Downing Street. While some protesters were moved back to the enclosure, others stayed in Parliament Square in breach of the conditions, amassing near the statue of Winston Churchill.
Police then decided to identify and arrest those still in breach of conditions, with missiles, including glass bottles and cans, being thrown at them, forcing them to put on riot gear and helmets. The protest came during widespread lawlessness around the UK, when tensions were running high with fears about further violent disorder breaking out.
Mr McKinley said there was ‘organised chanting’, including ‘Who the f**k is Allah’ and ‘You’re not English anymore’, with spitting, swearing, and abuse directed towards police officers. Halton was part of this crowd, shouting ‘Who the f**k is Allah?’, and, as seen on police bodycam footage, saying ‘Where were you lot when the f**king P**i c**ts were doing this? You were nowhere. Nowhere’.
Footage played to the court showed Halton in a blue surgical mask, with a green t-shirt wrapped over his head, and bare chest, joining chants and shouting at police. Audio of his comment about ‘f**king P**i c**ts’ was difficult to hear, but not disputed by Halton or his barrister.
Halton was arrested on Sunday, August 11, and initially disputed his identification, telling police ‘Are you trying to wind me up?’ when he was confronted with the footage. He later admitted violent disorder in the magistrates court.
Margate crack dealer
Halton was previously convicted and jailed for 30 months for Class A drugs supply offences at Canterbury Crown Court in 2017, after being caught with heroin, cocaine, and crack cocaine. Halton was homeless when he was stopped by police in Margate, with wraps of drugs in his mouth and £400 in cash, reports Kent Online.
Barrister Stephen Cooke said Halton had ‘completely changed his life’ since then, with a partner and stable accommodation, and job as a tree surgeon with the council. Around 18 months ago, Halton also discovered he had become a father, but sadly the mother of his child had since died.
“These incidents were obviously shameful and a disgrace, but perhaps there’s a distinction that this offence in London did not reach the levels elsewhere,” said Mr Cooke, adding: “While the words are vile, he did not use physical violence, did not throw a missile at anyone. While the words were disgraceful, he did not call police officers out for immediate violence.”
Calling for a suspended sentence, Mr Cooke asked Judge Vanessa Baraitser ‘for mercy’, and requested she not to double count the use of racist language. “It’s the defence application he not be sentenced twice on that narrow aspect,” said the barrister. Halton previously admitted one count of racially aggravated harassment at Westminster Magistrates Court and was fined £400.
Footage ‘clearly’ showed Halton joining the Islamophobic chant
Judge Baraitser said the footage clearly showed Halton joining the Islamophobic chant and making the racist comment to police. “[This was] contributing to what had become a volatile situation for the police,” she said, adding: “Perhaps you thought being part of a large crowd with sheer weight of numbers with a t-shirt wrapped around your head and blue mask on your face might protect you and shield you from prosecution.”
Jailing him for 16 months in immediate custody, the judge said Halton’s actions ‘provided comfort and encouragement’ to those around him to do the same, and severe sentences were needed to ‘punish and deter others’.
Far-Right Criminals 