A father-of-three has been spared jail after assaulting a man and his teenage son with a paving slab as they walked to their mosque. Shaun Wilkinson, 25, pleaded guilty to racially aggravated assault after unleashing a barrage of vile racist abuse at the men as they walked down Thompson Street, Preston.

Preston Crown Court heard Wilkinson, of Slaidburn Road, Ribbleton, saw the father and his 14-year-old son approaching and said “watch this” to his girlfriend. As they walked past, Wilkinson punched the father in his face. The son stepped in to try and help his father, grappling Wilkinson to the ground. However, Wilkinson got up and threw a piece of paving stone, hitting the youngster in the forehead.

Rachel Faux, prosecuting, told the court: “(The father) asked what the problem was and received a barrage of verbal abuse. As the father waited for the police to be called there was further abuse from females on the street.” The police arrived and arrested Wilkinson. He continued making racist comments.

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Anyone who has followed the English Defence League over the years will be aware of the disjuncture between the moderate-sounding statements that occasionally appear on the organisation’s website and the violent, hate-filled comments that EDL supporters post every day on its Facebook page. Yesterday the EDL made the mistake of publishing one of its “moderate” statements on Facebook.

The occasion was the conviction of teenage thug Fraser Giles who received an 8-year prison sentence for a horrific attack on an elderly Muslim in Uxbridge. The EDL posted a link to a press report of the case accompanied by a pious statement condemning Giles’ “disgusting and cowardly behaviour”. Perhaps the EDL reasoned that even its own supporters would balk at breaking the skull of a 79-year-old man and leaving him lying in a pool of blood.

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A date has been set for the retrial of a teenager accused of planning a “Columbine-type bomb attack” on his former school.

Last month a jury at the Old Bailey failed to reach a verdict on two charges under the Terrorism Act, which the 17-year-old from Loughborough denies. He has admitted possessing component parts for petrol bombs and pipe bombs.

The boy, who cannot be named, will now be tried again on 3 March. He is accused of possessing a poisons handbook, which is banned under terrorism laws, weapons and plans that the prosecution says named several potential targets in Loughborough. The teenager denies charges of possessing the items for the purpose, preparation and instigation of an act of terrorism.

Two other 17-year-old boys from Loughborough, who previously admitted possessing explosives, have been given 12-month youth rehabilitation orders.

BBC News, 13 December 2013

South Woodford Muslim Community Centre as it is at present

A controversial proposal to build a new mosque in South Woodford has been rejected.

The Qu’rani Murkaz Trust applied to demolish its existing South Woodford Community Centre Mosque in Mulberry Way and erect a new three-storey building.

The six councillors on the planning committee were last night split down the middle on the plan, leaving chairman Cllr Robin Turbefield with the deciding vote.

The development, which included a ground floor prayer room, a community hall on the first floor and four residential flats on the second floor.

Cllr Turbefield decided the plan was not compatible with, or contributing to, the distinctive character of the area. It was said the height of the building would also ‘unreasonably’ restrict sunlight and undermine privacy.

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The former Jesters building, and EDL supporters Gerry Woody, Andrew Smith and David Croc Johnson

In September the Bristol Post reported that a planning application had been submitted to convert the former Jesters Comedy Club in Stokes Croft into a mosque. The proposal was initially uncontroversial – according to the Post, no objections or comments had been received in relation to the application. The English Defence League, though, were not about to let this latest act of aggression in the ongoing Islamic conquest of Britain pass without resistance.

A protest announced by the EDL Bristol division, which was to have been held on 7 December, was postponed until the new year, supposedly because it clashed with various charity events. However, as Steven Rose revealed last month, the EDL also launched a campaign to get their supporters to register objections to the planning application on the Bristol City Council website. The EDL appeal read:

“Please sign and share. this is a grade 2 listed building in bristol and holds a great deal of history for the city. once again, we see another part of english heritage under threat and being forced to make way for yet another mosque. put a stop to this now.”

Following objections posted by the EDL, public comments on the planning application had to be temporarily closed.

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