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Why Tommy Robinson was jailed over Facebook rant outside Leeds Crown Court

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May 29, 2018
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Tommy Robinson outside Leeds Crown Court. A screengrab from a video taken of Robinson as he was arrested by police.

Tommy Robinson outside Leeds Crown Court. A screengrab from a video taken of Robinson as he was arrested by police.

The founder of the English Defence League has been jailed over comments made on camera outside Leeds Crown Court which had the potential to de-rail a long running trial.

Tommy Robinson filmed himself during an hour-long rant outside the court building which he streamed on Facebook Live and was viewed a quarter of a million times

A judge who locked the right wing activist up for 13 months for contempt of court told him his actions may cause the sensitive case to be abandoned.

The court heard it could cost taxpayers “hundreds and hundreds of thousands of pounds” if a re-trial has to be held.

A strict order is currently in place temporarily banning publication or broadcasting details of the long-running case or anyone involved.

Media will be able to reveal details of the case later this year.

The Yorkshire Evening Post can now reveal details of Robinson’s sentencing hearing which took place last Friday.

Robinson, of Oakley Rise, Wilstead, Bedford, was arrested after naming defendants in the case, the charges they face and details of the allegations.

He also filmed defendants and confronted them as they were entering the building on Oxford Row.

The 35-year-old was held in the court cells before being taken into the court to face trial judge Geroffrey Marson, QC.

The judge explained why Robinson’s actions had been in contempt of court.

He said the order had been made to ensure the “integrity” of the case.

The judge said: “Nothing may occur which will prejudice the trial.”

He added: “He was expressing his views. Everyone understands the right to freedom of speech but there are responsibilities and obligations.”

The video footage was played to the judge in court before he dealt with Robinson.

He said: “He was approximate to where defendants go in and approximate to where jurors go in.

“He was making a video. He was referring to this case.

“He referred to the charges that the defendants faced and some charges which are not proceeded against in relation to some defendants.”

The court heard the footage had received 250,000 views and a story about Robinson’s arrest was the lead article on a national newspaper website.

Judge Marson said: “Not only was it a very long video but I regard it as a serious aggravating feature that he was encouraging others to share it and it had been shared widely.

“That is the nature of the contempt.”

Yorkshire Post

Tommy Robinson jailed after breaking contempt of court laws

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May 29, 2018
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Tommy Robinson has been jailed for 13 months for breaking contempt of court laws.

His sentence can be revealed for the first time after The Independent and other media outlets fought a reporting restriction put on the case at Leeds Crown Court.

Robinson, whose real name was listed on court documents as Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was arrested outside the court on Friday.

He admitted committing contempt of court by publishing information that could prejudice an ongoing trial.

The 35-year-old was already subject to a suspended sentence for committing contempt during a rape trial in Canterbury last year, and had been told that if he fell foul of the law again he would go to prison.

The Independent

20 years for Barnsley paedophile who raped children after buying them sweets

By
May 28, 2018
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James Swindlehurst

James Swindlehurst


A ‘HORRIFIC’ South Yorkshire paedophile who raped two vulnerable young children after buying them sweets has been jailed for 20 years.

James Andrew Swindlehurst, 43, of Rockingham Street, Honeywell, Barnsley was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court after being found guilty of 13 non-recent counts of rape and indecent assault of a child.

Swindlehurst denied the offences against two victims that spanned a five-year period during the 1990s and 2000s.

He was found guilty by a jury following a trial at Sheffield Crown Court in October.

Detective Constable Elinor Duke, leading the investigation, said: “This man took advantage of the fact that the children were vulnerable.

“He gained their trust by building a friendship with them and making them feel ‘needed’.

“He would buy them sweets and take them out before carrying out a prolonged period of sexual abuse, telling them that there was no point telling anyone as nobody would believe them.”

The victims made a disclosure to police in April 2014 and Swindlehurst was arrested and a full investigation was carried out.

DC Duke added: “The bravery that the victims have shown in coming forward is exceptional.

“They did it with the motivation to prevent Swindlehurst hurting any other children.

“It is testament to the courage of the victims that he is now facing 20 years behind bars and I hope today’s sentencing sends a message that we will take action and catch those responsible for such horrific acts.”

Yorkshire Post

Bacon mosque attacker Kevin Crehan died in Bristol Prison after drug overdose

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May 24, 2018
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An inquest date has been set after Crehan died five months into a year-long jail sentence

A prisoner who was serving time for putting bacon on the door handles of a Bristol mosque died after a drug overdose, it has been revealed.

Kevin ‘Bunny’ Crehan was five-months into his year-long sentence in Horfield Prison when he was discovered dead in his cell.

Emergency services were called to the prison on December 27, 2016 after he was found unresponsive.

Files from the police and a post-mortem report have now been completed after several pre-inquest reviews.

A full inquest will begin on Monday, December 3, and is expected to last more than two weeks.

That means it will be nearly two years before his family finds out how the 35-year-old from Knowle West came by his death.

A post mortem examination heard he had died of a suspected overdose of methadone, a common drug used as a strong painkiller and as a substitute for heroin.

The court was told he had been admitted to hospital while serving his term following a drug overdose.

After he recovered, he was sent back behind bars, but was found dead in his cell shortly after.

A police investigation has now been completed, and they are not treating it as suspicious at this time.

Why was he in prison?

Crehan had been jailed in July 2016 after pleading guilty to an attack on the Jamia mosque in Totterdown in January 2016.

The ‘protest’ saw bacon being placed on door handles, a St George flag tied to the fence and abuse shouted at two elderly people.

Together with three others, the far-right group were charged in court.

Crehan was jailed for a year while Mark Bennett, 48, from Patchway, was sentenced to nine months in prison.

His wife, Alison, 46, was given a six-month suspended sentence for her involvement and Angela Swales, 31, from Brislington, was given a four-month suspended jail term.

The judge who jailed Crehan said he had taken into account the 35-year-old’s history of convictions, including football-related violence.

The group has also been given restraining orders banning them from going within 100 metres of a mosque anywhere in England or Wales for 10 years.

In his summing up, Judge Julian Lambert called it “an attack on England and the principles of freedom of religion”.

Since Crehan died nearly 18 months ago, there has been mounting speculation about the circumstances surrounding his death.

And while police dismissed it as “not suspicious”, it has not stopped several groups of people coming to Bristol to protest his death and sentence.

The latest march took place in Bristol at the end of last month, with dozens joining the ‘Gays against Sharia’ march near Temple Meads.

The Prison and Probation Ombudsman has confirmed a report into Crehan’s death has been concluded and passed to the coroner, although that is not expected to be made public until after the inquest.

Sitting in front of Avon’s senior coroner Maria Voisin, the inquest will look into the circumstances surrounding Crehan’s death, including how and why he died.

Bristol Post

Robbers who raided Plymouth shop with a machete are jailed.

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April 22, 2018
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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

‘Controlling’ Doncaster man jailed for beating girlfriend and attacking good samaritans who came to her aid

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April 9, 2018
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A ‘controlling’ Doncaster man beat his girlfriend in the street, before attacking two members of the public who came to her aid, a court heard.

During a hearing held at Sheffield Crown Court on Monday, Daniel Lang, aged 24, was jailed for three years for one count of controlling and coercive behaviour, one count of grievous bodily harm and one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

The court was told how Lang’s campaign of controlling behaviour towards his girlfriend began after the couple lost a baby girl in January last year.

It began by him reading things on her phone and checking her Facebook messages and ended with regular drink-fueled attacks in which he would ‘punch, kick and rag her about’, said Christopher Dunn, prosecuting.

He added: “He didn’t exactly stop her from going out, but the consequences if she did go out were such that it was simply wasn’t worth it. She stopped going out with friends, she stopped even going to the shop.”

The months of abusive behaviour came to a head on the evening of August 4 last year, when Lang began beating his girlfriend in the street after the pair were ejected from the Black Bull pub in Doncaster town centre and began arguing.

Following this, Lang, of King’s Crescent, Edlington punched a woman who followed the couple down the street after she became concerned about the young woman’s welfare.

Mr Dunn said: “As she got around the corner punched her in the face, his fist connected with her temple and knocked her unconscious.”

The woman was left with a four-inch cut to her head, which needed to be glued.

Then, in a separate incident, two men who saw Lang punching and kicking his girlfriend after he had thrown her to the floor, called the police for help.

One of the men was concerned that the police would not arrive in time and so attempted to intervene himself, the court heard.

“He challenged the defendant who immediately punched him to the face, causing him to fall to his knees,” said Mr Dunn.

The man sustained a fractured cheek bone in the attack.

He was arrested by police shortly after.

Lang pleaded guilty to the three offences prior to Monday’s sentencing.

Gul Nawaz Hussain QC, defending, said: “The defendant is ashamed of his behaviour, but found it difficult with the loss of his daughter.”

He added: “He vented his anger and frustration when he should have been looking to her for solace and comfort, and should have been offering the same thing to her.”

In addition to his custodial sentence, Recorder Davies also made Lang the subject of a five-year restraining order which prevents him from contacting his former girlfriend during that time.

Doncaster Free Press

Banned football fan admits failing to hand over passport when England play away

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March 19, 2018
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He was banned after having a flare at a match in Cheshire

A banned football fan has admitted failing to hand over his passport to ensure he did not attend England’s away matches.

Carpentry apprentice Benjamin Baguley was given a one-year conditional discharge by Nottingham magistrates, who ordered him to pay £85 prosecution costs and £30 government tax.

They were told that he was handed a three-year football banning order by magistrates in Cheshire last year. Baguley, 22, of Montague Street, Bulwell, was also fined.

Sarah Smith, prosecuting, told the Nottingham court: “He was found guilty of possessing a flare and throwing it onto the pitch during a match.

“When the order was imposed, one condition was to surrender his passport when England are playing away.”

This was pointed out in a letter sent to him on August 29 last year but he had failed to hand in the passport by October 4.

Miss Smith added: “When interviewed about the matter, he accepted that he knew the condition. He said that he was busy at work, that was the reason why he didn’t comply and acknowledged the breach would be a serious matter.”

Baguley admitted failing to surrender his passport at the Central Police Station on October 4. He was given a one-year conditional discharge.

He told the court: “I know I have done wrong. I was busy and was more focused on sorting myself out, trying to get an apprenticeship which I managed to get.”

Presiding magistrate Maureen Baker, who sat with two colleagues, told him: “The football banning order is very important and was for a serious offence.

“It was very important you comply with the order and part of your order was to surrender your passport.

“We are giving you another chance. Keep out of trouble and comply with the football banning order.”

There is no suggestion that Baguley used the passport to watch football matches.

Nottingham Post

‘The vile things he did to me will remain in my thoughts forever’ – victim’s torture as attacker finally admits crimes three years on

By
March 1, 2018
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Jasper Gough has been jailed at Grimsby Crown Court for sexual assault and assault. He also glassed a man in a bar

Jasper Gough, who has been jailed for three years and nine months

Jasper Gough, who has been jailed for three years and nine months

A woman who was sexually assaulted and beaten by a man says the vile things he did to her will remain in her thoughts forever.

Jasper Gough has been jailed for what he did to the woman – but not before putting his victim through three years of torture before he admitted it.

He also glassed a man in a nasty pub confrontation during a separate and unrelated incident.

Gough, 26, of Tennyson Road, Cleethorpes, admitted sexually assaulting the woman and a common assault offence against her in May 2015.

He also admitted a separate offence of assault, causing actual bodily harm, against a man out on a friend’s birthday celebration on June 29, 2016.

He was jailed for three years and nine months at Grimsby Crown Court and given a five-year restraining order banning him from contacting the woman and a two-year order relating to the glassing victim.

He was also ordered to register as a sex offender indefinitely.

After the hearing, the woman said: “This whole court case has lasted three long years and, during that time, he has lived a normal, happy life, living in the same town as me and my son while everyone and his family called me a liar.

“Those three years have been torture for me – for him to just turn around and admit the offences three years later, when he could have admitted them at the start.

“But he had to drag out the process as much as he possibly could, as if he hasn’t put me through enough.

“The vile things Jasper did to me will remain in my thoughts forever now.

“Jasper had a controlling violent temper and manipulates people. His family will always defend him, making him always think he isn’t wrong for what he does to women.

“To them, it’s never his fault. It’s horrifying knowing I had to live in a town while a man who sexually abused me and battered me is walking about.

“At times, I felt like the justice system completely failed me.”

Her words came as two victims of the same domestic abuser called for a register identifying offenders to help prevent repeat behaviour in a further relationship.

The victim’s father told the Grimsby Telegraph: “He is disgusting. I can’t explain what it’s done to the family. It’s just been disturbing.”

A spokesman for the Crown Prosecution Service said that the “glassing” happened at the Barracuda bar in Cleethorpes.

Gough used a hard plastic glass as a weapon and pushed it into the face of the victim, who was having a night out with friends for a birthday celebration.

It was believed that the victim had worked as a doorman but was not working in that capacity at the time of the attack.

He is believed to have suffered cuts, bleeding and a chipped tooth.

Grimsby Telegraph

English Defence League activist from Milton Keynes jailed for sexually abusing 10-year-old girl

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February 27, 2018
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A senior member of the English Defence League (EDL), has been jailed for 17 years after he abused a 10-year-old girl 100 times.

Leigh McMillan, 46, from Milton Keynes, groomed the child with cigarettes and drugs before subjecting her to the abuse during the mid-1990s.

McMillan attacked the schoolgirl on her mother’s bed and warned her not to tell on him.

He assaulted her around 100 times, the court heard.

McMillan is a lead figure in the EDL’s most unwanted ‘Lee Rigby’ campaign – a campaign to use the soldier’s death for further hatred.

A judge at the Old Bailey sentenced him on Monday to 17 years behind bars.

A representative from the Hope Not Hate Campaign, set up to fight fascism, was in court to witness his downfall.

“He seemed really embarrassed and looked ashamed He normally comes across as cocky when he speaking for the EDL, so this was quite a difference,” he said.

Hope Not Hate describe McMillan as a leading figure in the far right movement.

They say groups he has been affiliated with have been quick to criticise Muslims over child abuse following high profile cases of Asian grooming gangs.

But McMillan’s own arrest and conviction caused red-faces among his colleagues, claim Hope Not Hate.

“Members of far group groups have tried to hush it up,” said the spokesman.

It is alleged one far right campaigner wrote on Twitter: “We don’t want the left rubbing our noses in the dirt pretending they are whiter than white ourselves.”

Hope Not Hate was founded in 2004 to provide a “positive antidote to the politics of hate”. It helps expose illegal activities of extremists.

MK Citizen

EDL man gets 17 years for child sex offences

By
February 26, 2018
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Member of far-right group which accuses Muslims of paedophilia sentenced to 17 years for sexual abuse of girl.

A senior member of the English Defence league (EDL), and a contributor to a plethora of far-right social media groups, has been sentenced at the Old Bailey to 17 years today after he abused a schoolgirl 100 times and left her feeling “every day was Groundhog Day”.

Leigh McMillan, 46, from Milton Keynes, groomed his 10-year-old victim with cigarettes and drugs before subjecting her to a “spiral of sexual abuse” during the mid-1990s.

McMillan attacked the girl as she lay on her mother’s bed and and warned: “You mustn’t tell your mum “she’d be really upset.” He assaulted the schoolgirl around 100 times.

Cover ups already underway

Cover ups already underway

McMillan, who used the name ‘McMillen’ on social media, is a lead figure in the EDL’s most unwanted ‘Lee Rigby’ campaign – a campaign to use the soldier’s death for further hatred.

McMillan is a popular figure in the far right, so much so that a number of fellow far-right figures have been trying desperately to cover up his child abuse.

For example, Margate nazi Gary Field has asked his racist colleagues not to let anyone find out McMillan was an EDL member.

McMillan with Margate’s Dave Coppin, the nazi with a Filipino wife.

McMillan with Margate’s Dave Coppin, the nazi with a Filipino wife.

As of yet, the EDL has not responded, but is forging ahead with plans for an anti-Muslim march – where it will (once again) charge Muslims with being paedophiles.
Hope Not Hate