Labour Councillor - Violence

Noel O'Brien

A FORMER Labour councillor is facing jail for assaulting a young woman traffic warden.

Noel O'Brien shoved Joanne Subocz and threw her hat on the road after she caught him parking illegally in Manchester city centre.

O'Brien, 58, shouted a torrent of racist abuse at Polish-born Miss Subocz , telling her 'go back to your own country, we don't want you here'.

Miss Subocz said the incident left her shocked and for weeks she was afraid to go back on the streets.

District judge Paul Richardson, sitting at Manchester magistrates' court, convicted O'Brien of racially aggravated assault and bailed him for reports.

He told O'Brien: "This was an unpleasant piece of behaviour on a woman from another country doing her public duty. She was assaulted and bullied in a nasty fashion.

"If I don't get a favourable report on you I will have no option but to impose a custodial sentence."


Quote - "It left me shaking, it was a horrible experience."
Joanne Subocz



Miss Subocz said O'Brien, a former councillor in Haslingden, Rossendale, swore and pushed her after he parked on a suspended bay in St Mary's Parsonage last January.

She said: "It left me shaking, it was a horrible experience."

Four witnesses told how O'Brien rounded on the warden and screamed abuse. Jennifer Lynch said he was agitated and aggressive.

"He charged towards her like a bull," she said.

O'Brien, of Mercer Crescent, Haslingden, had denied the charge but didn't give evidence in his defence. He refused to recognise the court after the judge said he could not cross-examine civilian witnesses.

A previous bench appointed a lawyer on O'Brien's behalf to test the evidence, avoid unnecessary distress to witnesses and ensure the trial ran efficiently.

O'Brien accused the judge of denying him his civil right. He said: "I'm taking no further part in the proceedings. This is a joke - it's a pantomime."

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Lib Dem Councillor - Racial Abuse

A LIBERAL Democrat councillor has been fined after he racially abused a police officer after a six-hour drinking binge.

Christian Walker, 34, was arrested in a 24-hour Tesco in Water Street, Stockport. in the early hours of August 28 this year after using a racial slur to insult PC Patrick Mulhill, who is of Chinese and British ethnicity.

Walker, who represents Brinnington and Central ward, pleaded not guilty to a racially aggravated section five public order offence.

He said his comments were 'banter' and 'a joke' designed to put a 'smile on someone's face that went wrong', when he appeared before Trafford magistrates yesterday.

The court heard Walker, of Northumberland Road, Stockport, and a friend were 'yelping' and 'yodelling' as they walked into the store at 2am.

He described himself as 'plastered' and 'wrecked' after a pub crawl on a works leaving do, which included hours in a club where you could drink all night for £10.

Thomas McCabe, prosecuting, said: "Pc Mulhill was called over by a security guard, who was dealing with a situation involving this male.

"He intervened because they were arguing and told him: 'You're not going to be served because you're already drunk, your speech is slurred and your eyes are glazed'."

It was then that Walker racially abused the officer, who was said to be shocked and upset. Walker was arrested and taken to Cheadle Heath police station, where he then called Pc Mulhill a 'homosexual' in an attempt to 'wind him up'.

Under cross-examination, Walker said his skills as a local politician allowed him to gauge how people respond to what he said and he didn't believe the officer had been offended by his comments.

Andrew Evans, defending, said it was an attempt at a friendly joke that had gone horribly wrong and Walker was not being hostile to the Pc on racial grounds, but to a figure of authority refusing to let him have alcohol.

Mr Evans said: "This was not someone showing hostility on the basis of membership of a racial group, but cheek gone wrong.

"What we have here is a policeman arresting a drunk man who attempted to be cheeky and, in doing so, he uses a word the policeman later finds offensive."

Walker, a telephone researcher for north west MEP, Chris Davies, was fined £200 with £300 costs. He had defeated long-term Labour councillor, Maureen Rowles, with a majority of 255 and sits on Stockport Council's environment and economy scrutiny committee. He is also a governor of Brinnington early years centre.

UPDATE 5/11/08

A STOCKPORT councillor’s career is hanging in the balance after he was convicted of racially abusing a police officer.

Lib-Dem representative for Brinnington and Central ward, Christian Walker, 34, has been suspended from the party after he went on a six-hour bender and slurred racist abuse at PC Patrick Mullhill, who is of Chinese descent.

Walker had pleaded not guilty to racially aggravated harassment at Trafford Magistrates on Monday, but was found guilty, fined £200 and ordered to pay £300 costs.

Source and Full Story

Tags: Lib Dem, Racism, Drunk

Liberal councillor denies race charge

Is this the face of a racist? ROFL

A city councillor has been accused of a racially aggravated offence.

Canterbury cllr Jo Calvert-Mindell, 51, a former policewoman who lives in Longmeadow Way, Canterbury, appeared before Folkestone magistrates on Wednesday charged under section five of the Public Order Act and section 28 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998.

The Crown Prosecution Service claims that on November 8 last year, in Canterbury, “she used threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour within the hearing or sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress which was racially aggravated”.

Cllr Calvert-Mindell, who represents St Stephen’s ward, denied the charge and the hearing was adjourned until August 6 for a trial, which is expected to last two days.

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Conservative Councillor - Taxi Fracas

A former Tory councillor was this week bound over to keep the peace for his involvement in a racially motivated attack on a cabbie.

Businessman Shaun Smith, 38, had arrived at Manchester Airport with partner Amanda Ahlgreen, 39, when she became involved in a fracas at the taxi rank. Smith arrived on the scene and after a brief row, the police were called and the pair were arrested.

Smith, of Trigg Lane, Chorley, was bound over to keep the peace for 12 months.

At Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester, Mr Recorder Driver told Smith: "You became involved in a shameful incident of disorder on that night.

"You now know, even if you didn't know it then, your partner had committed a criminal offence against members of the public shortly before you became involved."

Not guilty verdicts were recorded on three charges of racially aggravated harassment, assault by beating and racially aggravated assault by beating, against Smith.

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Ahlgreen admitted one count of racially aggravated breach of the peace.

Earlier the court heard the incident occurred in June last year when the couple returned to Manchester Airport where Ahlgreen entered into an argument with the man in charge of the taxi rank during which she made a comment of a racist nature.

Defending Smith, Keith Harrison said: "He was not present when Ahlgreen made the most offensive comments. He does accept he became involved in the incident to a certain extent but he was not present when Ahlgreen made the most offensive comments."

Defending Ahlgreen, Patrick Buckley, said: "In a moment of madness she let slip remarks that were deeply offensive - she deeply regrets them. There has been no repetition since or no incident before this."

Granting her unconditional bail, Mr Recorder Driver said: "You pleaded guilty to a serious offence and the judge who sentences you will have the full range of sentencing options available to him."

Ahlgreen will be sentenced on July 2.

Councillor Smith was elected as a Tory councillor in 2004 with a majority of 256.

Peter Goldsworthy, leader of Conservative-led Chorley Council, said: "At the moment Shaun Smith is not a member of the Conservative party.

"It will be up to a group meeting to be held in the next two weeks to decide whether he is admitted back in."

Donna Hall, council chief executive, said: "In terms of his role as a councillor, he would only have been automatically disqualified if he'd received a custodial sentence of three months or more."

An early report on the Chorley Citizen website, suggested that the charges against Mr Smith be ordered to lie on file and that the charge against Ahlgreen related to racially aggravated harassment.

This was in fact incorrect.

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Tags: conservative councillor, racism

Labour Councillor - racially aggravated disorder

A COUNCILLOR has been suspended by Labour Party chiefs after being arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated disorder.

Rob Dix, Labour representative for Harton, South Tyneside, was arrested last Wednesday afternoon by officers in Chapter Row, South Shields, following an alleged incident in the town centre.

He was taken to South Shields Police Station where he was questioned. He wasn't charged and released on police bail. He was ordered to reappear at the station on May 7.

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It is understood the suspected offence relates to an alleged dispute with a black traffic enforcement officer, while Coun Dix, 52, was delivering for Parcelforce in East Street, South Shields.

Neil Fleming, spokesman for the Labour Party, said that Coun Dix, of Summerhill Road, South Shields had been suspended by the party, pending the outcome of the police investigation.

Parcelforce Worldwide, who Coun Dix is understood to have been working for at the time, said a full internal investigation has been launched, but refused to say whether he had been suspended.

Spokesman Marie Gray said: "Parcelforce Worldwide has been informed of an incident involving a driver on Wednesday March 26.

"An internal investigation is underway and we will also await the results of the police inquiry."

Coun Ed Malcolm, chief whip of the Labour group on South Tyneside Council, said: "We cannot make any comment until the police have concluded their inquires."

Coun Dix was re-elected to South Tyneside Council on May 3 last year, ousting veteran Progressive Councillor Gordon Finch by 229 votes. He'd previously lost his seat in the 2004 local elections.

He is currently vice-chair of the Regeneration and Resources Scrutiny Committee, and sits on a range of other committees including licensing and regulatory.

A senior South Shields Labour Party source said: "No-one knows many details about the incident yet, but he's innocent until proven otherwise.

"The case is likely to be treated very seriously, as potential Labour candidates have to agree that they're in favour of equal opportunities for all.

A racially motivated incident would go against this ethos."

A spokesman for Northumbria Police said: "We can confirm that a 52-year-old man was arrested at Chapter Row, South Shields on Wednesday, March 26 on suspicion of racially aggravated disorder.

He was released on police bail, and will return to the station on May 7."

Coun Dix could not be contacted for comment.

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Labour Racism

A labour councillor has been handed a three-year football banning order after racially abusing former Latics defender Pascal Chimbonda - David Phythian hurled the sickening insults during Latics' epic 3-3 draw with Spurs in April. The French international was making his first appearance at the JJB following his acrimonious move to the London club, and was booed throughout the afternoon. But UpHolland ward councillor and Latics fan Phythian, 54, admitted using abusive or insulting words towards Chimbonda that were racially aggravated.

Wigan and Leigh magistrates banned him from attending all football matches in the UK for three years, fined him £250, and ordered him to pay £60 costs. Phythian, of Evington, Skelmersdale, is a member of West Lancs District Council's bulky waste collection task group, the Lancashire care NHS trust consultation group and the West Lancs planning committee.

More here also note that throughout the report there is no mention of the political leaning of this racist, but there is a mention of the BNP. Funny that, in a moronic way of course

Conservative Racism

A Chorley councillor and his girlfriend are to stand trial early next year over charges in connection with an alleged racist incident at an airport taxi rank.

Councillor Shaun Smith, 37, who represents Wheelton and Withnell ward, has been charged with a racially aggravated public order offence and common assault following a late night incident at Manchester Airport in June. His girlfriend, Amanda Jane Ahlgreen, 39, of Trigg Lane, Heapey, Chorley, has also been charged with a racially aggravated public order offence.


The pair were committed to Minshell Street Crown Court, Manchester, on January 25, when they appeared at Trafford Magistrates Court on Friday. Smith, of Briers Brow, Wheelton, was elected for the Conservative party to Chorley Borough Council in 2004.
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