South Shields extremist Kenny Holden is held over bomb threat
Posted: April 23, 2012 Filed under: Anders Behring Breivik, Darren Yateley, EDL, Facebook, Kenny Holden, North West infidels, Paul Duffy, South Shields, Utoya | Tags: Anders Behring Breivik, Darren Yateley, EDL, Facebook, Kenny Holden, North West infidels, Paul Duffy, South Shields, Utoya Leave a commentA FAR-RIGHT extremist has been arrested on Tyneside over allegations he accessed a social network site to threaten an “Oslo-style” bomb attack on Muslims.
A 29-year-old from South Shields, named on internet websites yesterday as Kenny Holden, was arrested by officers on Saturday after race-hate posts were allegedly made on Facebook.
Web pages linked to the English Defence League claim detectives discovered comments threatening a pipe bomb attack on the town’s Ocean Road, inspired by the Norwegian mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik. Right-wing extremist Breivik is currently on trial over the deaths of 77 people, eight in an Oslo bombing and 69 shot dead on Utoya Island.
Last night Chief Insp Michael Barton, of South Tyneside Area Command, confirmed that Northumbria Police had launched an investigation and said they would not tolerate “racial incitement” on the internet.
He said: “Extensive inquiries are being carried out. There is no place for any sort of racial incitement or use of social networking to place inappropriate comments and we take incidents such as this extremely seriously.
“I’d like to reassure the public that a full investigation is taking place into this allegation.”
Holden – who is believed to be a member of the EDL’s South Shields division – was arrested on suspicion of assault and possessing racially inflammatory material on Saturday before he was bailed pending further inquiries.
A police spokesman said the arrest for assault relates to a domestic incident and is unrelated to the alleged racial offence.
The spokesman added: “Extensive inquiries have been carried out and there is no apparent threat to the general public.”
The arrest comes just days after an anti-terror operation was carried out over the posting of alleged racist postings online.
Officers from the North East Counter Terrorism Unit carried out synchronised raids at 7.45am on Thursday at houses in North Tyneside and County Durham.
They took 43-year-old Darren Yateley, of Backworth, North Tyneside, and 46-year-old Paul Duffy, from Elgin Avenue, Seaham, County Durham, to local police stations for questioning.
Yateley – along with all the others – has been released on police bail pending further inquires.
Police refused to say what had been posted online but said it related to posts on social network sites that could provoke racial hatred.
The arrests were part of nationwide raids which involved police strikes from the North East to London.
The suspects are being linked with a splinter group of the English Defence League known as the North West Infidels. Searches were made at each of the houses and police recovered a range of items including computers, laptops and mobile phones.
South Shields man admits writing racist graffiti
Posted: January 13, 2012 Filed under: racist abuse, South Shields, Stephen Smith | Tags: racist abuse, South Shields, Stephen Smith 1 Comment
VILE Stephen Smith is today unmasked as a twisted racist who subjected his pensioner neighbour to a sickening hate campaign.
Widow Doreen Saleh was already devastated by the untimely death of her son when offensive racist graffiti started appearing on her back gate.
The 67-year-old became scared in her own home as every time the shocking abuse was wiped off, more would reappear.
Police ended up setting up a hidden camera in a back lane to catch the culprit and the Saleh family were disgusted to find out it was Smith – who lives just four doors down the road in South Shields.
Now, as Smith finally confessed to being behind the harassment, Mrs Saleh’s brother has told of the effect it had on the family.
Terry Saleh, 40, said: “My mam’s a widow who lives alone, it was totally devastating for her.
“She has lived there for 38 years and we just did not know who was doing it and she was thinking she was being watched all the time. She was beside herself with worry.
“There was just no reason for it, no motive, apart from the fact he’s a disgusting racist.
“It went on for 18 months and we just didn’t have a clue who it was. When we found out it was Smith we couldn’t believe it, it’s just disgraceful.”
Mr Saleh’s older brother, Gary, died in 2009 aged 44 after suffering a heart attack and around the same time the abuse began.
As well as the racist graffiti, Mr Saleh claimed the words “Mammy I’m dead” also appeared on his mum’s gate after Gary died.
Smith, 43, of Mortimer Road, South Shields, where the attacks happened, was due to stand trial for racially aggravated harassment but pleaded guilty.
He admitted daubing offensive graffiti on 10 separate occasions between 2009 and 2011. As well as the racist language he also drew white crosses on the gate, Newcastle Crown Court heard.
Mr Saleh said: “After the death of my brother my mam started getting upside down crosses drawn on her gate and ‘Mammy I’m dead’.
“She just couldn’t get closure after the death of my brother, all this just kept bringing the feelings back up.”
He added that he believed Smith had carried out the attacks during the night when Mrs Saleh was at work. Mr Saleh said: “My mam’s a carer and he must have been watching her leave the house at night because she would come back from work and see it the next morning. It’s absolutely sickening.”
The court heard Smith has never been in trouble before and a judge adjourned sentence so reports could be compiled on the racist.
Judge Brian Forster told him: “Given your background it’s difficult for me to understand how you are in this position. I express no view as to what the sentence will be.”
He was further released on bail to live at a bail hostel on Twelfth Avenue, Blyth, and will be sentenced in March.
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