Britain First leader Paul Golding convicted of terror offence

The far-right activist refused to allow police access to his phone after a trip to Russia

Paul Golding, leader of Britain First, had met with a political party in Russia. Getty Images

Paul Golding, the leader of the far-right and anti-Muslim group Britain First, has been found guilty of a terror offence in the UK.

Last October, the 38-year-old refused to allow police access to his phone and computer at Heathrow Airport after returning from a trip to Moscow.

He was charged with wilfully refusing to comply with a duty under the Terrorism Act. He denied the accusations but was found guilty at a London magistrates in London on Wednesday.

Chief magistrate Emma Arbuthnot said there was “no doubt” Golding had failed to comply with request for information even though he was warned “over and over” about the risk of arrest.

Ms Arbuthnot ruled he had been lawfully questioned.

She handed Golding a conditional discharge for nine months and ordered him to pay £750 (Dh3,371) in costs and a £21 (Dh94) surcharge.

At the trial he spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth, address and nationality.

Golding told officers he had been in Moscow on a political trip to meet with the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, who he described as a “right-wing, conservative, patriotic group” who were not “extreme”. He said he did not meet with any representatives of the Russian government.

The court heard recordings of a police interview with Mr Golding where he described the request for his pass codes as “wildly inappropriate”, “completely unjustified”, an “abuse of police powers” and a “political witch hunt”.

“I don’t think you have any grounds to suspect me of terrorism in any way shape or form,” he added.

Golding was stopped and examined under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act, which police say allows them to “speak to people in order to make a determination of whether they are or have been concerned in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism”.

English Defence League founder and fellow far-right activist Tommy Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, watched the proceedings in the court’s physically- distanced public gallery.