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Tag Archives: English Defence League

Woman EDL protester escapes jail term over police assault

By
July 29, 2013
assault, community order, EDL, English Defence League, Public order offence, threatening behaviour
Marsden narrowly escaped a custodial sentence.

Marsden narrowly escaped a custodial sentence.

Karen Elizabeth Marsden, 40, of Castleford joined in offensive chanting as part of the EDL protest in Dewsbury town centre last June, Kirklees magistrates heard.

She then assaulted two police officers when she was arrested and police had to use CS spray to subdue her.

Marsden had denied threatening behaviour and assaulting two police officers but was convicted after a trial.

She was warned to expect jail but magistrates imposed an 18-month community order with a supervision requirement. She was ordered to pay £260 towards costs of £620. Magistrates rejected an application for an anti-social behaviour order.

23rd June 2012

Huddesfield Daily Examiner

EDL men guilty of violent disorder at Walsall demo.

By
July 29, 2013
EDL, English Defence League, violent disorder

walsall

Trouble flared at the EDL rally in Leicester Street on September 29 last year, while Unite Against Fascism held a separate event elsewhere in the town centre.

Hundreds of EDL supporters had been in the town and some stewards, EDL supporters and police officers suffered injuries when violence erupted.

Seven men appeared at Wolverhampton Crown Court yesterday and each pleaded guilty to a charge of violent disorder.

Mark Baker, aged 43, of Horseshoe Close, Pleck, Walsall; Benjamin Banfield, 34, of Meg Thatchers Green, Saint George, Bristol; Dean Lidster, 44, of Hatfield Road, Stratford; and Craig Forward, aged 37, of Neptune Street, Tipton, stood together in the jury box as they delivered their pleas in front of Judge Michael Challinor.

Christopher Jelley, 27, of Broadway Close, Shrewsbury; Myles Smith, 39, of Parkway Towers, Leeds, and Leslie Silk, 36, of Gatcombe Road, Bristol, also appeared in a separate hearing.

Apart from entering their guilty pleas, the defendants only spoke to confirm their names, addresses and dates of birth during their appearances.

Their cases were adjourned for pre-sentence reports to be prepared.

Mr Stephen Cadwaladr, representing Baker, said his client had learning difficulties and was addicted to alcohol.

He said medical reports would also be prepared.

The defendants are each due to appear in front of a judge at Wolverhampton Crown Court in the coming months to be sentenced. They were all released on conditional bail.

The protest in the town centre caused shops and market stalls to close, and buses and taxis were suspended.

Police scoured CCTV footage and arrested a number of suspects thought to have been involved in the disorder.

Missiles including bricks and wooden panels were hurled at police, despite calls from the group’s leaders for calm.

Steel police cordons were set up in Bridge Street and Darwall Street, bringing parts of the town centre to a standstill.

The main bus station St Paul’s was also closed and buses were diverted, leaving some shoppers and visitors to the town stranded.

Chief Inspector Mike O’Hara said the trouble had been confined mostly to Leicester Street and the rest of the day had passed peacefully.

Express & Star

EDL activist threatens to burn down a mosque.

By
July 29, 2013
EDL, English Defence League, facebook, Suspended sentence
Adam Rodgers

Adam Rodgers

Adam Rodgers, 28, of Woolwich, a former English Defence League (EDL) activist, threatened to burn down a mosque in retaliation for the brutal killing of soldier Lee Rigby.

Unemployed Rogers was staying with friends in Hastings when he posted a tirade of offensive and obscene remarks on Facebook. He also called on fellow EDL members to congregate at Hastings Mosque in St Leonards.

On Monday (July 15), Rogers was sentenced to 16 weeks in custody, suspended for two years, by Hastings magistrates. He was also given a supervision requirement for 24 months and ordered to pay £85 in costs and an £80 victim surcharge.

May 23rd 2013

Hastings and St. Leonards Observer

The Argus

EDL supporter admits mocking a Muslim prayer ritual and hurling racial insults during a fundraiser for Help for Heroes.

By
July 29, 2013
assault, community order, EDL, English Defence League, Fined, Racial Conviction, Racist Abuse, religiously aggravated alarm, religiously aggravated intentional harassment, threatening behaviour

Lee Cousins, 40, of Soundwell, Bristol pleaded guilty to causing racially/religiously aggravated harassment or alarm following the unrest in Bristol on Saturday evening (25th May).

Cousins was amongst a group of men who had come out of the St George’s Hall public house in Church Road after initially barricading themselves in when police arrived.

Cousins then mocked a Muslim prayer ritual by getting down on his hands and knees in the road before shouting racial slurs involving Muslims and Allah. He was fined £500 and ordered to pay £85 costs plus a £15 victim surcharge.

Bristol Post

Also in connection with the disturbances in Bristol on 25th May 2013

Jason Bennett, 39, of Redfield pleaded guilty to using threatening words or behaviour and was fined £50.

Luke Selman, 23, of Horfield pleaded guilty to using threatening words or behaviour towards PC Peter Crawford and PC Karen Stenner with intent to cause fear or provoke unlawful violence and to assaulting PC Stenner in the execution of her duty, Selman was ordered to do 200 hours of unpaid work and pay £245 in costs and compensation.

Selman, who has two previous convictions, was also told to complete a 12-month community order.

Bristol Post1

Bristol Post2

EDL supporters receive suspended jail sentences for beating up a Muslim at a tube station.

By
July 29, 2013
assault, community order, EDL, English Defence League, Racial Conviction, racially aggravated public order offence, Suspended sentence

Salvatore Allegro - James Whitbread

Salvatore Allegro, 48, and James Whitbread, 36, were both found guilty of a racially aggravated public order offence for beating up a Muslim at a tube station.

The men verbally abused Ahmed Farhan, telling him to “go back to your own country you f***ing Muslim c**t.”.

When Farhan got off the train at Bank station the two men followed him, shouting anti-Muslim abuse before punching him repeatedly. Both men were given a six month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months.

They were also both banned from engaging in any EDL activities, meetings or protests for 18 months.

Allegro was made to carry out 120 hours unpaid work while Whitbread was given an 18 month supervision requirement..The duo must each pay Mr Farhan £100 compensation as well as prosecution costs of £150.

IEngage

EDL supporter sentenced for posting offensive material on Facebook

By
July 29, 2013
EDL, English Defence League, facebook, Suspended sentence

Matthew Tyson

Matthew Tyson, 23, of Grimsby, was sentenced at Grimsby Magistrates’ Court for posting offensive material about Muslims on an English Defence League Facebook site, Tyson wrote, Grimsby Mosques “want burning down” after soldier Lee Rigby was attacked and killed by two men in Woolwich, on May 22.

The Mosque was attacked days later. Tyson was given a 12-week curfew and must stay in his home between 6am and 8pm, apart from weekends where he must stay at his girlfriend’s home while seeing his children.

His 12-week prison sentence was suspended for six months. The court also ordered the destruction of a laptop and his smart phone.

This Is Grimsby

Suspended sentence for threats to burn down a Mosque

By
July 29, 2013
EDL, English Defence League, facebook, Suspended sentence
APOLOGY: Steven Ballard leaving court. The Facebook user claimed the furore caused by his "menacing" comment had cost him his job, girlfriend and his child.

APOLOGY: Steven Ballard leaving court. The Facebook user claimed the furore caused by his “menacing” comment had cost him his job, girlfriend and his child.

Steven Ballard, 27, of Grimsby, admitted sending an offensive or menacing message on May 23 on the Grimsby division EDL fan page on Facebook .

It read: “Burn the mosque down the end of Legsby Avenue. That will tell the clowns in charge in this country that we ain’t taking this s*** and it will start a nationwide action going. “Grimsby will be on the map big time then.”

Ballard was given a 12-week suspended prison sentence, a six-month supervision order and must pay £85 costs and a Government-imposed £80 victims’ surcharge.

This is Grimsby

AN anti-mosque protester avoided jail for posession of cocaine with intent to supply.

By
July 29, 2013
community order, Drugs, EDL, English Defence League, Infidels, Public order offence, Suspended sentence

AN anti-mosque protester avoided jail after he was found to be carrying cocaine following a street demonstration.

Warren Faulkner also offered to “sort out” his differences with a police officer when they clashed during the protest in Millfield, Sunderland.

Newcastle Crown Court was told Faulkner was among a group demonstrating about plans to build a mosque in St Marks Road.

The 42-year-old, of Webb Avenue, Westlea, Seaham, was then spotted by an officer in a back lane shouting “come on, come on, bring it on”.

The court heard Faulkner tried to trip up the officer, who was separating the right-wing demonstrators from the anti-fascist group. As he was being detained, Webb told the officer: “I will give you my phone number, and we can sort this out without your uniform on”.

Prosecutor Michael Bunch said: “Following this, a small packet of cocaine was found in his trouser pocket, with a street value of £34.”

Faulkner, who had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to possession of a controlled substance with intent to supply, and a public order offence, claimed he was only carrying the drug after someone asked him to keep it for them.

Vic Laffey, defending, said Faulkner had lost his job as a result of being brought before the court.

He said: “This was a straightforward agreement with the friend to keep the drugs, with no suggestion at all that he would make money or a profit from them. He intended to give the drugs back.”

Judge Simon Hickey QC sentenced Faulkner to six months in prison, suspended for 12 months. He also ordered him to do 100 hours’ unpaid work and abide by a supervision order.

Judge Hickey said: “You were there to deliberately antagonise the other group, and you offered to sort it out with him if he removed his uniform.”

The court was told Faulkner had 22 convictions, his last back in 2002.

Sunderland Echo
EDLNews

Abuse and threatening behaviour at the EDL Walsall demo

By
July 29, 2013
community order, EDL, English Defence League, Jailed, Public order offence, threatening behaviour

Jack Beasley

An English Defence League supporter who shouted abuse and used threatening behaviour during a demonstration in Walsall – has been handed a criminal anti-social behaviour order after narrowly avoiding a jail term due to health problems.

Jack Beasley travelled from Durham to take part in the protest which brought Walsall town centre to a standstill on September 29 last year, Walsall Magistrates Court heard yesterday.

Trouble flared, in Leicester Street, during the rally.

Miss Jo Taylor, prosecuting, said: “By the time the afternoon approached things were clearly getting out of hand.”

She said Beasley had been wearing a black EDL top and was identified on CCTV raising his arms and chanting.

She said other people around him were throwing ‘missiles’ at police and Beasley looked as though he had picked up some items and was making a throwing action in various photos.

He denied throwing any objects.

Miss Taylor told the court: “As you can see from some photos, he is on the frontline behaving in an aggressive manner, chanting at police.”

Beasley, aged 23, of Cedar Road, Bishop Auckland, initially denied using threatening words or behaviour with the intent to cause fear or provoke unlawful violence.

But he changed his plea to guilty on the day of his trial.

Sentencing Beasley, District Judge Michael Morris said: “It is clear you have hatred for certain members of the community. Whether you are going to change your ways or not, I do not know.

“You were picking up items which could be used to throw at police or demonstrators.”

He said the offence would usual carry a prison sentence but was prepared to suspend the jail term because Beasley had health problems.

Beasley was sentenced to 12 weeks in jail, suspended for 12 months, and was handed a community order with a supervision requirement.

He was ordered to carry out 100 hours unpaid work, pay £250 costs and was handed a three-year criminal anti-social behaviour order which forbids him from attending any rally by the EDL or Unite Against Fascism.

It also prevents him from displaying any banner or placard with writing or a logo which is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to any other person.

A number of protesters and police officers were treated for minor cuts and bruises after angry scenes unfolded last September.

Express and Star

EDL Northampton division admin admits cruelty to seven ponies seized by the RSPCA.

By
July 28, 2013
Animal Cruelty, EDL, English Defence League, Jailed

Paul FlowersPaul Flowers Horse

Paul Flowers, an EDL Northampton division admin, was sentenced to 16 weeks in prison and banned from keeping animals after admitting cruelty to seven ponies seized by the RSPCA.

Welfare officers found the starving animals in a field in Blisworth.

Some had ground down their tooth enamel trying to get the last blades of grass from the field in Station Road. Because the couple, who are both unemployed, refused to hand ownership of the animals to the charity, the ponies had to be kept at a boarding house which cost the RSPCA £18,000 in fees.

The ponies have now been rehomed.

BBC News