Racist rant lands man with £380 fine

A FACTORY worker punched a police officer after he was arrested for a drunken racist rant when he said all immigrants should be shot, a court heard.

Ian Logan remembers very little about the incident when he assaulted the officer, who tried to arrest him following his racist diatribe, which also championed the English Defence League, Darlington Magistrates’ Court heard yesterday.

Alison Nunn, prosecuting, told the court the police officer had arrived in North Road at 11.20pm on a Sunday night, after being called to the area to deal with another matter.

The officer had seen the 48year-old staggering across the street, eating Mrs Nunn said: “He hears the defendant shout out, “EDL, EDL, get the f***ing immigrants out.

“‘You lot are f***ing useless, what the f*** are you doing about all these b******s? Control immigration, you should shoot them all.”

Logan then shouted more racist obscenities, the court heard.

When the officer, who thought Logan was drunk, tried to arrest him, he pulled the officer’s arm and then punched him in the face, the court heard. The officer reached for his pepper spray, which failed to activate, and Logan pulled him by his body armour and made aggressive comments, forcing the officer to “knee” Logan.

Logan continued to be physically and verbally aggressive until he was put into a police cell.

The incident happened on Sunday, February 28.

Leanne Steinberg, mitigating, said Logan had been drinking since 3pm on the day of the incident.

“Mr Logan is absolutely embarrassed and ashamed to come before the court, ” she said. “He accepts it is just not acceptable at all.”

She said he had consumed a lot of alcohol before the incident and did not remember a great deal about it.

She said he had been under a lot of stress, and had experienced periods of unemployment and had been worried about paying his mortgage and bills.

She said the rant had not been directed at anyone, and he had been “simply mouthing off”.

Logan, of Thompson Street West, Darlington, pleaded guilty to assaulting a police office and racially aggravated intentional harassment, alarm or distress.

He was fined £190 for each offence and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £15 victim surcharge.

The Advertiser

Three admit roles in Walsall EDL protest disorder

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

Suspended term for EDL protester

A man travelled to an English Defence League march in Leicester because he knew there might be trouble and he could shout and scream at Asian people, a court heard yesterday.

Prosecutor Elizabeth Dodds told Leicester Magistrates Court that Daniel John Buckley told police that was why he had made the journey.

Buckley, 27, of Oakley Road, Long Eaton, Nottingham, admitted racially aggravated harassment and obstructing a police officer.

Eve Patterson, in mitigation, said Buckley had an alcohol problem

He was given an eight-week prison sentence suspended for 12 months and ordered to attend a course to address his alcohol problem.

Leicester Mercury

Racial abuse pair banned from Bulwell newsagents for five years

TWO men who subjected a “decent and hardworking” Asian family to a torrent of abuse have been sent to jail and banned from their shop.

Stefan Davis and Kelvin Barratt were locked up for ten months and told not to go within 200 metres of the family’s newsagents in Bulwell for five years.
Judge Michael Stokes QC, who sentenced them, asked one of their solicitors: “Why should anyone put up with such behaviour?”

The men began their harassment at 7 o’clock one Monday morning as the family unloaded stock outside their newsagent’s in Bulwell.

Barratt, 25, of Courtleet Way, on the Crabtree Farm Estate in Bulwell, pulled a knife as he delivered an onslaught of foul remarks and words.

He asked one “what religion are you?” and she replied “what does that matter?”

He replied: “Because I’m EDL (English Defence League)”.

Matters then seemed to calm, with Davis shaking hands with a member of the family, and the men left.

But Nottingham Crown Court heard how they returned later that day, on April 16, and continued their racial abuse.

“Davis said, ‘I’ll be back. I’ll smash your shop. I’ll come back and rob your shop’,” said Robby Singh, prosecuting.

Davis then went to Tesco and shouted in the store before police arrived and arrested him and Barratt.

Barratt swore and said he had no respect for the police, the court was told.

Both men admitted racially aggravated harassment and using threatening words or behaviour. Barratt additionally pleaded guilty to having the knife.

Judge Michael Stokes QC told them the fact they were both drunk at the time was no excuse.

“The family who own the newsagents in Bulwell were at the shop at the time because they are hardworking, decent individuals.

“They didn’t want any trouble. The court will not tolerate such behaviour.”

The family asked the Post for their store not to be named for fear of further trouble.

Davis, 21, of Bromley Close, also on the Crabtree Farm Estate, accepted his behaviour was wrong, the court heard, and alcohol was a factor.

Andrew Wesley, in mitigation for Barratt, said his client had been out of trouble for nine years, was not a supporter of the EDL, was actively seeking work. He also said he was “deeply ashamed of his behaviour.”

This is Nottingham