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Two men who shouted abuse at Muslim protesters at a soldiers' homecoming parade have been found guilty of public order offences.
Bryan Kelso, 27, and Kevin Carroll, 40, were given conditional discharges at Luton Magistrates' Court for the offences at a parade to welcome home the 2nd Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment, known as the Poachers, in the town in March last year.
Angry scenes broke out at the parade after a group of Muslim activists waved placards with slogans including ''Butchers of Basra'' and ''baby killers''.
At the start of their trial in January, the court heard both Kelso and Carroll were part of a hostile crowd who confronted the protesters, telling them to ''---- off''.
They also sang a song with the words ''bin Laden's mother is a *****'', prosecutor Avirup Chaudhuri said previously.
CCTV footage showed them approaching the protesters aggressively and having to be pushed back by police.
Both men accepted the language they used was abusive, but Carroll told the court he was ''extremely angry and outraged'' at the protest against the British Army.
He told police he was not a member of the National Front and was not a racist.
Kelso said he was proud of the march and felt the protesters were abusing people who defended this country.
Both men were found guilty of Section 5 public order offences, Bedfordshire Police said.
Kelso, of Hartley Road, Luton, and Carroll, of Bolingbroke Road, Luton, both received a nine-month conditional discharge and were each ordered to pay £175 costs.
A police spokeswoman said a number of people congregated outside the court in support of the men and were monitored by police.
She said: ''Eight people attended Luton Magistrates' Court and remained for three to four minutes.''
Speaking after the sentence Superintendent Mark Turner, head of community policing for Luton, said: ''Luton town has enjoyed excellent community relations for a number of years but it seems last year a small minority came to the town to cause disorder.
''There has been extensive public consultation and work behind the scenes to strengthen community cohesion in the town and Bedfordshire Police is committed to continuing this work with its partners to ensure harmony and peace.''
Source
Bryan Kelso, 27, and Kevin Carroll, 40, were given conditional discharges at Luton Magistrates' Court for the offences at a parade to welcome home the 2nd Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment, known as the Poachers, in the town in March last year.
Angry scenes broke out at the parade after a group of Muslim activists waved placards with slogans including ''Butchers of Basra'' and ''baby killers''.
At the start of their trial in January, the court heard both Kelso and Carroll were part of a hostile crowd who confronted the protesters, telling them to ''---- off''.
They also sang a song with the words ''bin Laden's mother is a *****'', prosecutor Avirup Chaudhuri said previously.
CCTV footage showed them approaching the protesters aggressively and having to be pushed back by police.
Both men accepted the language they used was abusive, but Carroll told the court he was ''extremely angry and outraged'' at the protest against the British Army.
He told police he was not a member of the National Front and was not a racist.
Kelso said he was proud of the march and felt the protesters were abusing people who defended this country.
Both men were found guilty of Section 5 public order offences, Bedfordshire Police said.
Kelso, of Hartley Road, Luton, and Carroll, of Bolingbroke Road, Luton, both received a nine-month conditional discharge and were each ordered to pay £175 costs.
A police spokeswoman said a number of people congregated outside the court in support of the men and were monitored by police.
She said: ''Eight people attended Luton Magistrates' Court and remained for three to four minutes.''
Speaking after the sentence Superintendent Mark Turner, head of community policing for Luton, said: ''Luton town has enjoyed excellent community relations for a number of years but it seems last year a small minority came to the town to cause disorder.
''There has been extensive public consultation and work behind the scenes to strengthen community cohesion in the town and Bedfordshire Police is committed to continuing this work with its partners to ensure harmony and peace.''
Source
