A woman who campaigned to be an MP has been ordered to undergo a psychiatric assessment or face arrest after she praised Adolf Hitler on her blog in a series of posts.
Barbara Fielding-Morriss, 79, who stood as an independent candidate in Stoke-on-Trent Central in the 2017 general election, was convicted in June of three offences of stirring up racial hatred.
A jury took just over two and a half hours to find her guilty of three charges relating to abusive material she published on her website.
Fielding-Morriss was acquitted of a fourth count.
She had been expected to be sentenced on Friday, but the recorder, Julian Taylor, adjourned the case after hearing concerns had been raised by a community psychiatric nurse.
Taylor said the material was among the most “vile” he had read.
In one of the articles, Fielding-Morriss praised the Nazi leader and talked about building “new and better death camps”, while in another she compared Jewish people and immigrants with termites. She also said she would “clean up the world’s Islamic infestation”.
Fielding-Morriss, from Draycott, Derbyshire, won 137 votes (0.6%) in a byelection in February 2017. In the national poll four months later, she received 210 votes.
She represented herself during the four-day trial at Stoke-on-Trent crown court, claiming the articles were protected under freedom of expression and the European convention on human rights.
Taylor told Fielding-Morriss: “I found some of the evidence really quite chilling.You are clearly an intelligent woman, and I found some of the historical articles you wrote to be quite interesting – whether they were accurate or not is neither here nor there.
“But among that were some of the most vile things I’ve ever read. I have been doing this job long enough to have seen the unpleasant face of humanity, but I have to say that some of the things that were read out in court really shocked me.
“You talked about building better gas ovens and compared people to termites – things I would have hoped never to see in this country. It really was quite shocking, and you should be thoroughly ashamed of yourself.
“The jury didn’t believe that you were entitled to free speech – nor were you. This is a very serious matter and I am strongly considering a custodial sentence, never mind the fact that you are 79.”
The fourth count of inciting racial hatred, for which Fielding-Morriss was found not guilty, referred to a description of “primitive Asian migrant children”.
Granting her conditional bail until 5 October, Taylor told Fielding-Morriss: “Some of the blogs were extremely offensive, so all options are open – a custodial sentence is clearly one of them. I am going to adjourn this matter for a psychiatric report because that is what I have been informed is required.
“If you don’t cooperate, I will issue a bench warrant and that will lead to your arrest and possible remand in custody.”
Joy Garner, a Stoke-on-Trent city councillor who reported Fielding-Morriss to the police and gave evidence during the trial, said: “I think that she clearly needs some sort of help. But nobody can make these sort of comments online, or anywhere else. History, and recent history, shows us that people will read this sort of thing, and will act on it.”
