Men appear in court on race hate charge

| Thursday, 26 May 2005 Source: Lifestyle Extra

Six alleged members of an extreme right wing group denied stirring up racial hatred at the Old Bailey today.

Elizabeth Hunt, 36, a mother-of-three from Merseyside, appeared alongside four others accused of publishing propaganda for the Racial Volunteer Force, an offshoot of the neo-nazi organisation Combat 18. A sixth defendant faces charges of conspiracy to incite racial hatred.

It is claimed the group were involved in advertising the group's aims of racial intolerance, revolution and use of violence on their website and magazine Stormer.

Their targets are said to be Jewish, Muslim and black people living in Britain.

They were charged after a national police operation Attend involving six police forces in Bedfordshire, Lincolnshire, Surrey, London, Merseyside and Manchester.

The defendants are Nigel Piggins, 39, of Holtemprice Street, Hull; Jonathan Hill, 33, of South Croft, Oldham, Lancashire; Steven Bostock, 27, of Westmorland Road, Urmston, Manchester; Michael Denis, 30, of Ashdown Way, Tooting, south London; Elizabeth Hunt, 36, of Dawson Avenue, Southport, Merseyside; and Kevin Quinn, 40, of Ouseland Road, Bedford.

They all face charges of conspiracy to incite racial hatred.

Denis is the only one of the group who is not named in further charges relating to alleged distribution, publication and possession between August 2002 and October 2003.

They are also charged with conspiracy to publish or distribute material likely to stir up racial hatred between August 1, 2002, and October 31, 2003.

Hunt, Hill and Bostock are also charged with publishing or distributing the RVF magazine Stormer, and two counts of publishing or distributing material on the website.

Piggins is also charged with two counts of possession of the magazine Stormer, publishing material on the website, publishing or distributing the RVF magazine and distributing the DVD "Screwdriver Live in Germany".

Quinn is also charged with two counts of publishing or distributing the November Ninth booklet "The Longest Hatred" and possession of the booklet with a view to distribution to stir up racial h atred.

Four of the group appeared in court seven before Recorder of London Peter Beaumont. Bostock and Hill appeared via videolink.

They pleaded not guilty to all charges.

They were released on conditional bail and due to stand trial on October 3.