Two Britain First leaders charged with religiously aggravated harassment

Two leading members of the far-right group Britain First have been charged with causing religiously aggravated harassment, police have said.

Paul Golding, 35, and Jayda Fransen, 31, were bailed to appear before Medway magistrates court next month. Golding has been charged with three counts, Fransen with four, Kent police said on Wednesday.

“The investigation related to the distribution of leaflets in the Thanet and Canterbury areas, and the posting of online videos during a trial held at Canterbury crown court the same month,” officers said.

The trial involved three Muslim men and a teenager who were eventually convicted of rape and jailed.

Separately, the former leader of the English Defence League was given a suspended prison sentence for contempt of court in May after filming outside the court during the same rape trial.

In a video posted online, Tommy Robinson filmed himself describing the defendants, who had not yet been convicted, as paedophiles.