A controversial YouTuber who railed outside hotels housing asylum seekers to “protect women and children” is a convicted paedophile.
Anthony Styles, 59, livestreamed demonstrations outside taxpayer-funded accommodation for migrants on his channel AJ Audits.
But it has now emerged that Styles, of Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire, was previously imprisoned for abusing a girl under the age of 14.
According to The Times, Styles — who was locked up for four-and-a-half years in 2017 — abused the victim after making her sit on his knee.
Styles was also guilty in 2012 of assaulting a 17-year-old girl and possessing more than 300 indecent images of children.
He was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life and handed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
A spokesman for Lancashire Police told The Standard: "In 2016 a 59-year-old man was charged with indecent assault on a girl under the age of 14.
“In August 2017 he was sentenced to 66 months (54 months custodial and an extended licence period of 12 months).
“He was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life and given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order."
Styles, who uses a wheelchair because of a degenerative illness similar to multiple sclerosis, allegedly used a pseudonym so fellow protesters at demonstrations were unaware of his crimes.
After information about his convictions spread online, Styles was understood to have been booted out of the groups and his YouTube account appears to have been deactivated or deleted.
The hypocrisy is off the charts
His youngest victim was reportedly targeted more than three decades ago while the he was living in Blackpool, Lancashire.
She said in a victim impact statement that she was left psychologically affected by the assault in the 90s.
Sentencing, Judge Robert Altham said: "In his trial, Styles denied the events ever took place. She has described that this incident has had a significant effect on her.
“There is, properly stated, an abuse of trust in this case. This is a case where the family trusted the care of this little girl to the defendant. He was trusted to be alone with her.”
Lewis Nielsen, of Stand Up to Racism, said: “These revelations show the far right have never cared about women’s rights, they’ve been harbouring convicted offenders in their midst.
“The hypocrisy is off the charts. This man has claimed to be protecting women and girls while hiding his own convictions.”
