BNP pair fined for brawl on campus

Roland Hancock | Friday, 17 June 2005 Source: Manchester Evening News

A LEADING member of the BNP has admitted causing fear and provocation to violence after a fight in the foyer of a university campus building.

Tony Wentworth, 23, appeared before the town's Salford magistrates' court yesterday along with his co-accused "bodyguard" Joseph Owens, 42, who pleaded guilty to common assault.

Judge Jonathan Finestein gave Wentworth, of Salford, and Owens, from Norris Green, Liverpool, conditional discharges and ordered them to pay court costs of £200.

Owens was also ordered to pay £150 compensation to his victim.

The men were charged after a fight broke out in the foyer of a Salford University campus building in March last year, where Wentworth – chairman of the BNP youth movement – is studying history.

Both the BNP members were canvassing support for Wentworth's election as communications officer, which includes editing the university's newspaper. He was not elected.

After the hearing, Owens, who has a string of violent offences, said: "We did not go down there to cause trouble, it's just sad that it ended up with fists, but I did assault someone."