Britain First Deputy Jayda Fransen 'Blamed By Mother For Death Of Stillborn Daughter'

The allegations are denied.

A mother-of-two has said she blames the deputy leader of Britain First for the death of her stillborn daughter after she was subjected to racist abuse in her home.

Jayda Fransen, 31, is accused of hate crimes alongside the leader of the far-right group Paul Golding, 36.

They were arrested over the alleged distribution of leaflets and online videos, which were posted during the trial of three Muslim men and a teenager, who were later convicted of rape.

Jayda Fransen, deputy leader of Britain First, arriving at Folkestone Magistrates Court
Jayda Fransen, deputy leader of Britain First, arriving at Folkestone Magistrates Court
PA Wire/PA Images

Fransen went to the Kent home of one of the defendants Tamin Rahmani and shouted abuse through the front door, Folkestone Magistrates’ Court heard.

His partner Kelli Best said she was alone with their two children, aged three years and 18 months, during the incident on May 9 last year.

She told the court that she was pregnant at the time and blames Fransen for the death of her stillborn daughter.

Giving evidence from behind a screen on Tuesday, she said: “She (Fransen) was making racist remarks: ‘Dirty Muslim rapist, come out, we’re not going to leave until you’re gone, come out. Dirty scumbags’.

“It was directed at Tamin because she thought he was in there but he wasn’t.”

She added: “It made me feel very anxious, I didn’t go outside for a long time.

“I was also pregnant at the time it happened, two days after I started to bleed heavily and lost my daughter, she was stillborn.

“I blame Jayda Fransen because there was no other reason for it to happen.”

Britain First leader Paul Golding is also facing allegations of religiously aggravated harassment
Britain First leader Paul Golding is also facing allegations of religiously aggravated harassment
PA Wire/PA Images

She said her young son still gets scared when anyone knocks on their door.

“He would make remarks saying ‘I’m not dirty’, it’s really affected him,” she added.

On a video played in court, Fransen could be seen banging on the door and shouting: “Come out and face me you disgusting rapist, come on.”

Miss Best sat shaking and crying in the witness stand as the footage was played.

Fransen said she has carried out campaigns against people accused of sex offences on a number of other occasions.

She denied using the phrase “Muslim bastards”, or saying that all Muslims are rapists.

“I’ve never said that and would never say that,” she told the court.

“I think it’s ridiculous, it’s such a sweeping statement that I would never make.”

She added: “As a Catholic, if it were a Catholic priest I would be inside his church asking him the same questions as I wanted to ask Tamin Rahmani.”

Giving evidence, Fransen said she has more than 2.5 million followers on social media and has been retweeted by American President Donald Trump.

Kevin Smallcombe, defending, said that Britain First is a “controversial” organisation, that was described by Piers Morgan as racist during an interview with Trump.

“Yes Piers Morgan labelled me a racist, which I’m not,” Fransen replied.

“My response was to invite Piers Morgan to discuss and debate with me.

“I’m pretty certain if he allowed me to sit with him he would be more than convinced that I’m far from racist. He hasn’t taken me up on that offer unfortunately.”

Fransen is charged with four counts of religiously aggravated harassment and Golding with three counts.

The pair, of Penge, south east London, deny all the allegations.

Fransen was previously convicted of racially aggravated harassment relating to an incident in January 2016 involving a “Christian patrol”, the court heard.

She approached a woman in Luton town centre and told her she “had been hidden because your men can’t control their urges” and “you cover because you don’t want to be raped”, Prosecutor Madeleine Wolf said.

Golding has a previous conviction for harassing a person in their home relating to an incident in January 2015, the court heard.

He told a woman living there that her son was a terrorist and that “we want to evict him, we don’t want him to live there”, Miss Wolf said.

The details were given during a prosecution bad character application, which was denied by Judge Justin Barron.

Golding said he was only acting as Fransen’s cameraman, and that it was her campaign.

“Jayda asked me to accompany her as a cameraman - which I have done many, many times before,” he added.

“I was there to operate a camera.”

He told the court that Fransen edited and uploaded the footage, as well as designing and posting the leaflets.

“It was Jayda’s campaign, she took ownership of it,” he added.

“Jayda didn’t abuse anyone. I don’t believe what she did and what she said amounted to abuse.”

He said he has received “death threats, physical attacks and regular confrontations” as a result of his work with Britain First.

Evidence has concluded in the trial, verdicts will be given at 2pm on March 7.

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