A former hospice worker, who posted “vile” antisemitic material online ahead of a planned neo-Nazi rally, has been jailed for more than three years.
Joshua Bonehill-Paine, 23, from Somerset, was found guilty by a jury of inciting racial hatred by creating and posting a flyer that included a picture of Auschwitz and Nazi imagery.
He also said that the rally, which was planned to take place in Golders Green in north London – home to many Jewish people, would be a “gas”.
Jailing him for three years and four months, Anthony Leonard QC said: “It’s little surprise to me that the jury convicted you after a short retirement. The document posted on the web is about as inflammatory a document as I will ever see.
“You were trying to encourage people, especially young people, to join in a demonstration in Golders Green against what you call ‘Jewification’. You did all you could to inflame the Jewish community to provoke a reaction from them.”
Bonehill-Paine insisted his flyer was not racist – saying it was no more offensive than jokes he had heard on the comedy shows Family Guy or South Park. He said the flyer was not designed to be offensive. “I do not believe it is offensive,” he told the jury.
In 2014 Bonehill-Paine received a two-year supervision order and 180 hours unpaid work for claiming a Leicester pub was refusing to serve members of the armed forces to avoid offending members of the Muslim community.
The pub owners were bombarded with hate mail, including threats of arson and death threats, and was forced to close temporarily.
Unbowed, he made a number of allegations against political figures claiming they were paedophiles, drug dealers or religious fanatics, resulting in him being handed a three-month sentence suspended for 18 months.
Referring to his previous campaigns, the judge said: “It displays your ability and desire to use the web as a means to cause anguish and anxiety to others.
“Perhaps you will reach a state of maturity at some point at some point and you will realise what you’ve done endangers, rather than supports, free speech. You are coming to the point where you are a danger to society.
“You are an intelligent man, and society can only hope that you will mature and start to realise the responsibility that comes with freedom of speech.”
Bonehill-Paine was jailed for three years and four months at Southwark crown court, London.
DCI Andy Barnes, who led the investigation, said: “Bonehill-Paine posted vile, antisemitic material online. This kind of material is illegal and its publication is damaging to communities.
“There are challenges in attributing such material posted online to the originator but our digital forensic examiners worked tirelessly, carrying out extensive analysis of the material, phone data and online activity to prove that Bonehill-Paine posted the material from his laptop.
“[The Metropolitan police] fully understands the hurt that is felt in communities affected by this type of crime. It is only by continually working with communities that we can ensure they are safe and free from fear.
“As this case demonstrates, there is no place for people inciting racial hatred under the guise of protest, and those that do this will be investigated and brought before the courts to answer for this crime.”
The demonstration was held in central London rather than Golders Green by which time Bonehill-Paine, of Yeovil, was under arrest.
