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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

A man from West Yorkshire who posted racist and anti-Semitic messages on social media and was behind hate-filled graffiti has been sentenced to four years and three months in prison today (23 May).

Wayne Bell, 37, posted an image on a Russian social media site in March 2016 showing a man being hung by a rope with a Star of David on his forehead. In another post he described Jewish people as “destructive” and “vile”.

Bell also had a hatred for black people and in August 2016 posted, “The only way,” below a photo of a police officer’s foot raised above the head of an unarmed black man, lying on the ground.

In late 2016 he posted a number of messages on Twitter continuing his campaign of stirring up hatred against Jewish and black people.

Leeds Crown Court heard how Bell was a prominent member of the neo-Nazi group National Action before its proscription and featured in two posters used in the group’s 2016 recruitment campaign. National Action was banned in December 2016.

He also pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing items with the intent to damage property in relation to racist graffiti in and around his home town of Castleford. Thirteen videos were found on Bell’s mobile phone and featured an unseen man – believed to be Bell – directing others as to where and what they should graffiti. The majority of the graffiti was anti-Semitic including swastikas and references to the Holocaust.

When his home was searched police found two spray cans, cable ties, travel planners, and stencils identical to those in the videos. A rucksack found at this workplace in Leeds contained National Action stickers.

Sue Hemming from the CPS said: “Wayne Bell is a committed racist who posted messages on social media intending to stir up racial hatred against Jewish and black people.

“He was also behind graffiti that promoted his Neo-Nazi views and his deep rooted hatred of all non-Aryan races.

“Those who choose to behave in this way can expect to face the legal consequences of their actions, which can include going to prison.”
Notes to editors

Wayne Bell (dob 10/08/1980) pleaded guilty to:
Two counts of stirring up racial hatred contrary to section 19(1) Public Order Act 1986
Three counts of possession of items with intent to destroy or damage property, contrary to section 3 Criminal Damage Act 1971

Bell was sentenced to 30 months in prison on 24 November 2017 after being found guilty of an offence of conspiracy to commit violent disorder at Liverpool Crown Court. The offence related to disorder in Liverpool on 27 February 2016 which occurred when members of National Action, including Wayne Bell, and other right wing groups clashed with opposing factions.
Sue Hemming is the Head of the Counter-Terrorism Division in the CPS.

CPS


White nationalist group leader Matthew Heimbach was led out of a Louisville courtroom in handcuffs Tuesday after a Louisville judge revoked his probation.

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

He ultimately pleaded guilty to second-degree disorderly conduct in July 2017 but avoided jail time when District Court Judge Stephanie Pearce Burke waived a 90-day sentence on the condition he not re-offend within two years.

But after picking up new criminal charges in Indiana in March, prosecutors with the Jefferson County Attorney’s Office moved to have his probation revoked.

In court on Tuesday, Burke ordered to serve 38 days in Metro Corrections, telling him, “I really hope that I do not see you back in this court.”

She said he would need to serve the 38 days in jail and not on home incarceration.

Susan Ely, who leads the county attorney office’s criminal division, said the 38-day sentence was the result of negotiation and that Heimbach could serve the remaining 52 days if he re-offends again.

“We wanted the absolute guarantee that he went into jail today,” Ely said.

Sheriff’s deputies handcuffed a smiling Heimbach with his hands behind his back and escorted him to the jail.

Steve Durham, assistant director of Metro Corrections, said Heimbach will be housed in a single cell, at least “for the time being.”

Heimbach, 27, was arrested in March after police say he got into a fight at a Paoli, Indiana, mobile home park where he was confronted by a fellow party leader over an alleged affair, a police report details.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups across the country, describes the Traditionalist Worker Party as “a neo-Nazi group that advocates for racially pure nations and communities and blames Jews for many of the world’s problems.”

Jay Lambert, Heimbach’s public defender, said the Indiana case is still pending and that Heimbach’s agreement with Louisville prosecutors does not mean he’s pleading guilty to the new charges.

“What we structured here was a mechanism where Mr. Heimbach did not admit to any factual wrongdoing, but he acknowledged that there was sufficient evidence to revoke him had he gone through the hearing,” Lambert said.

The attorney said he was not aware if Heimbach was still the leader of the Traditionalist Worker Party.

Heimbach entered an Alford plea to the disorderly conduct charge stemming from the Trump rally, which allows the defendant to plead guilty while maintaining their innocence and acknowledging prosecutors had enough evidence to convince a jury.

Meanwhile, a federal civil suit is pending against Heimbach, Trump and others stemming from the incident at the Louisville rally.

Heimbach screamed and yelled at Trump protester and University of Louisville student Kashiya Nwanguma and pushed her repeatedly to make her leave the Kentucky International Convention Center, where the Trump rally was taking place, according to court records.

Protesters, including Nwanguma, allege in the civil suit that they were assaulted by audience members who were riled up by Trump. Heimbach has said in court papers that he acted at the urging of the then-presidential candidate.

The case is pending before the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Reporter Matthew Glowicki can be reached at 502-582-4989 or mglowicki@courier-journal.com. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: http://www.courier-journal.com/mattg.

Courier journal

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



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