BNP candidate 'tore' papers of anti-fascist

| Thursday, 20 May 2004 Source: Sheffield Star

A BRITISH National Party candidate tore anti-fascist newspapers from the hands of a pensioner during a rowdy street argument, a court heard.

Paul Harris, aged 43, was pulling so hard on the papers he fell over backwards when Joe Hayward released his grip, it was claimed. Sheffield magistrates' court heard that moments earlier Mr Hayward had been grabbed from behind in a bear hug by one of Harris' companions.

Trouble flared on Lytham Avenue, Monk Breton, when the three BNP campaigners furiously objected to Mr Hayward and two colleagues distributing the Searchlight newssheet in the area, magistrates were told.

The incident happened two days before local elections last year in which Paul Harris was standing as a candidate for the BNP. Harris, of Kingsland Court, Royston, denies threatening behaviour.

His companions, Dean Strawson-Moreland, aged 39, of Brookfield Terrace, Carlton, and Dean Clayton, 25, of Dodworth Road, Barnsley, had both admitted threatening behaviour before the trial started yesterday.

Nicola Quinney, prosecuting, said Joe Hayward, secretary of Barnsley TUC, was distributing Searchlight with Howard Turner and Pauline Haigh when a car bearing BNP stickers pulled up alongside them.

The defendant and his companions got out and demanded the trio hand over the publication claiming it was illegal to distribute in the run up to the elections, she said. Mr Hayward, 67, who is also a Barnsley Labour councillor, told the court Strawson-Moreland and Clayton approached Mr Turner and Mrs Haigh before grabbing him.

He added: "There was one man on each side pulling my arms down to break my grip. He (Harris] was in my face and he was trying to rip the papers out of my hands.

Then I let go and he was pulling so hard he fell to the ground. "I was very scared, he was very aggressive indeed.

I shouted to Pauline to call the police, it was mayhem." Howard Turner, vice chair of Barnsley TUC, said moments earlier Strawson-Moreland had plunged his hands into his satchel and taken all of his copies of Searchlight and put them in the car boot.

He added: "I felt intimidated, threatened and afraid, he was shouting in my face. I tried to protect Joe and I was shoulder-charged by Clayton, the whole situation got out of hand."

Brian Orsborn, defending, challenged the claim all three were aggressive and quoted from Mr Turner's statement in which he said he didn't pay attention to Harris because he posed the least threat.

He added: "Strawson-Moreland was a menace, abusing people and being nasty, and Clayton was out shouting at people. But Harris didn't say anything to you."

He also claimed Harris never laid a finger on Mr Hayward. The trial continues.

Dean Strawson-Moreland was sentenced on April 19 to one day in prison and ordered to pay £100 costs. Dean Clayton will be sentenced after the trial.