He fought the law but …

Eddie (left) gets Frank on film

Our old chum and wannabe author Eddie Stampton is in court today. He was arrested in Essex yesterday after apparently giving the police something of a run around for a few weeks.

Stampton, who is the self-proclaimed leader of the British wing of Golden Dawn had been bragging to “friends” that he was wanted by the police for refusing to abide by the conditions of his prison release.

He was originally in prison for nearly murdering his ex-girlfriend during a drunken rage.

Before the law caught up with Eddie yesterday, he managed to be photographed with just about every leading light in the old Combat 18 gang. The old gang has been hanging around London quite a bit lately, looking old and more than a bit paunchy with it-but still looking for trouble.

A number of the photographs have caught our eye- in particular this one, taken in London just over a week ago. Here is Stampton (left) with convicted Loyalist gun runner Frank Portinari (yes, it is an Italian name, and yes, he is Catholic.)

The word on the street is that Portinari and his little gang of friends are gearing up to take on a rival gang of Loyalists that surround the supporters of Belfast-based Jim Dowson. By all accounts, Dowson has responded to threats from the notorious Llama Harmer and friend of Portinari, John “Snowy” Shaw, by offering to send his excitable office boy Paul Golding to teach Mr Shaw some manners!

How Mr Portinari’s new employers will feel about all this kicking off around their warehouse is a mystery, but it appears Frank is playing the Godfather to all of this nonsense.

A little taster of the hatred between the rival far-right groups was evident yesterday when the excitable Mr Golding had an “episode” in the middle of the street after being called a nasty name by a rival fascist group.

So it may be a convenient time for young Edwyn to take a break from proceedings. If Golding doesn’t make it to Yorkshire (he may get lost on the motorway) the alternative dust up is planned to take place at the Apprentice Boys parade through London in April.