Neo-Nazi told to read Jane Austen to stay out of jail
ANTI-RACISM CAMPAIGNERS have urged the Attorney General’s office to review the sentence of a neo-Nazi who was told to read the classics such as Pride and Prejudice as a way to stay out of jail.
Ben John was convicted of a terror offence at Leicester Crown Court for downloading almost 70,000 white supremacist and antisemitic documents and bomb-making instructions.
Receiving a suspended sentence last week, John, from Lincoln, was instructed by the judge to stay away from rightwing material and return to court every four months to be “tested” on classic literature by Dickens, Austen, Shakespeare and Hardy.
Nick Lowles, chief executive of Hope not Hate, said in an open letter to the Attorney General: “These sorts of lenient sentences risk encouraging other young people to access and share terrorist and extremist content because they will not fear the repercussions of their actions.” John was described by police as a white supremacist with a neoNazi ideology.