Britain First leader and deputy leader jailed for hate crimes

The leader and deputy leader of far-right group Britain First have been found guilty of religiously aggravated harassment.

Paul Golding, 36, and Jayda Fransen, 32, were arrested over the distribution of leaflets and posting of online videos during a gang-rape trial.

Fransen was convicted of three counts of religiously aggravated harassment. Golding was found guilty of one charge.

Both were jailed at Folkestone Magistrates’ Court.

Fransen was handed a 36-week sentence and Golding 18 weeks.

During their trial in January, the court heard they had targeted homes and people in Kent whom they believed were connected to a rape trial at Canterbury Crown Court where three Muslim men and a teenager were convicted of rape and jailed.

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Both Fransen and Golding were convicted on a joint charge of religiously aggravated harassment after an incident last May at 555 Pizza takeaway in Ramsgate, when Fransen banged on the windows and doors of the shop and screamed “paedophile” and “foreigner”.

However, in each case, they instead targeted innocent members of the public.