Afternoon music
The aftermath of my sentencing hearing
I was expecting a storm (even if in a teacup) after my sentencing, rather as happened after I was wrongfully and unlawfully disbarred in 2016. The Crown Prosecution Service (or should that be Clown Prosecution Service?) also seem to have been expecting a great deal more interest from Press and public than there has been.
The CPS posted this:
“A disbarred barrister who posted grossly offensive antisemitic material online has been sentenced.
Between May 2021 and April 2022, Ian Robert Millard persistently posted about his hatred of Jewish people online, while claiming he was simply exercising his freedom of speech.
Statements made by Millard included that ‘there is nothing wrong with being antisemitic’, that England would ‘be a great deal better’ with more antisemitism and suggestions that the Holocaust was ‘fake history’.
He also posted imagery which portrayed antisemitic conspiracy theories.
Working closely with Hampshire Constabulary, the CPS trawled through twelve months’ worth of evidence from Millard’s blog.
Unpicking the evidence, piece by piece, including one month of posts alone which totalled 450 pages, prosecutors were able to show the continuous barrage of offensive material – all of which needed to be considered by prosecutors to build the strongest possible case.
At trial, prosecutors utilised the evidence to prove Millard was not simply expressing his freedom of speech, but was engaged in a campaign of antisemitic hate, publishing grossly offensive material which breached the Communications Act.
Having been found guilty after trial of five charges of breaching the Communications Act, Millard, 67 and of the New Forest, was sentenced at Southampton Magistrates’ Court on 14 March 2024 and received a nine month Community Order.
Sophie Stevens, Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor with CPS Wessex, said: “Antisemitism has a devastating impact on individuals and communities – we won’t hesitate to bring offenders of hate crime to justice.
“This was a complex prosecution which required many hours scrutinising the masses of online content that Ian Millard deemed perfectly acceptable.“
[Crown Prosecution Service public/Press statement]
A few points about that.
Firstly, the malicious and politically-motivated pro-Israel group, “Campaign Against Antisemitism”, or “CAA” (effectively a volunteer arm of the Israeli Embassy) have admitted on both their website and Twitter/X account that they brought political pressure to bear on the CPS to prosecute me for something/anything, including a letter written directly to the Director of Public Prosecutions by “Lord” Ian Austin, the notorious ex-MP. The “CAA” campaign against me has lasted a whole decade now.
Second, the words allegedly used on the blog were “…a lot better for a little more defensive antisemitism“. The CPS has left out that important qualifier.
Thirdly, imagine the waste of public money in which the CPS has indulged. Hundreds, if not thousands, of pages of blog material, examined minutely. A court process involving some half dozen days or part-days of hearing during 2023 and 2024. Instruction of outside Counsel to appear at each hearing etc.
Also, months of enforced activity by me as I fought to defend myself without any legal or financial assistance; a certain amount of stress, inevitably. The necessity to drive to Southampton several times, too.
The result? Slightly more severe than I had hoped (I was hoping for a conditional discharge or small fine of about £200), but far less severe than the “CAA” and its horrible supporters wanted to see. They really wanted the manacles on me, to quote the late Sir Roger Hollis.
So. 15 meetings with the Probation Service spread over the next 9 months. Also, a nearly £800 costs order and “surcharge” [see also https://www.givesendgo.com/GC14J].
Notice how the CPS was obviously desperate to have the result of my case in the newspapers, even adding “Notes for Editors” to its statement.
The question now is whether the CPS will be pressured further by the “CAA” to take other action against me, particularly in respect of blog posts in late 2023 and early 2024 (after conviction but prior to sentence). Needless to say, all further attacks will be vigorously defended, should push come to shove.
Looking at the CPS statement, the old saying “it ain’t over ’til the fat lady sings” comes to mind.
As for the blog, I have already announced that, while the blog will continue to be published daily, or near-daily, its content will inevitably have to change slightly, be more diplomatic etc. Also, I hope to shift the emphasis from comment more towards how to build for the future.
Naturally, in a situation where free speech is all but dead in this country, I cannot invite further politically-motivated prosecutions. I must tread the line, as did Sir Thomas More [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_More], between (metaphorically, in my case) keeping my head on my shoulders, and staying true to principle and honour.
There have been a few tweets about my trial and sentence. The “no-one watches” Talk TV (part of the mass media empire founded by the ancient billionaire, Rupert Murdoch), tweeted thus:
https://talk.tv/top-stories/54441/ian-millard-antisemitic-antisemitism-convicted-posts-nazi
As one would expect from a Murdoch operation, there is dishonesty in that tweet. For one thing, the image and quotation is from my old Twitter/X account. The Jewish lobby or members of it had Twitter delete my account in 2018, almost 6 years ago, and the tweet probably comes from well before even that date.
I notice that Talk TV’s tweet has had some 3,400 views, yet only 9 people have “liked” it, and only 9 (presumably the same 9) have retweeted it. About a quarter of one percent. So somewhere between 99.5%-100% are either with me or are just not very interested in the story.
The tweet by the “Clown” Prosecution Service followed the same pattern. No less than 13,000 people have apparently viewed it, but only 85 have “liked” it, and even fewer (29) have retweeted it. 85 out of 13,000; about half of one percent. So —again— about 99% of people are either with me or are not terribly interested in what the CPS has to say.
“Millard and the People!” (?) (and with apologies to Ceausescu).
I suppose that it proves how nervous the System is at the popular mood under the surface. People in the UK may be unaware of their own unconscious political preferences…
I noticed that one clown tweeter seems unable to read:
Ha ha. What an idiot.
One of the few other reply-tweets about the matter:
There were a couple of tweets from the individual below, a kind of online stalker, who even copied his pathetic whining tweet to the CPS and police:
That lunatic (he is actually a mental case of some sort, on medication) has been making silly and rude remarks about me for many years, and inciting various people, various organizations, the few who bother to read his tweets, against me.
If I had more money (well, it is just possible that I might hit the Euromillions lottery…), I should apply for a Norwich Pharmacal Order, thus have his identity and address confirmed (like others, he may not be quite as anonymous as he thinks anyway), and then take legal action against him. That would prove expensive for him…
For more about that lunatic, and others of similar type, see this blog post from 5 years ago: https://ianrobertmillard.org/2019/07/18/theyre-coming-to-take-me-away-ha-ha/. In that article, I examined the strong links between “antifascism”, Zionism, and mental illness, linkages rarely if ever noted by the mainstream media.
This was tweeted too, by the “Searchlight” “organization” (one old “you know who” in an East London backroom):
Note that “Searchlight“, which has been tracking me since about 1975, is completely washed-up.
Their tweet (politely pretending that it is more than one individual…) has had (after 2 days) only 575 views, and only 5 “likes”. Malicious, but ultimately pathetic, idiot(s).
In fact, I see that “Searchlight” only has about 2,800 “followers” on Twitter/X. When I was expelled at the behest of the Jewish/Zionist/Israel lobby in 2018, I already had over 3,000, and by now would have had probably at least 10,000 (which, of course, was why “they” had me expelled…).
This time round, there has been no interest by Sky TV, the Daily Mail (the scribbler whom I believe was in charge of my disbarment story in 2016 has left and is now the editor of…the Jewish Chronicle!) etc. Only the BBC, the “no-one watches it” Talk TV, and a small provincial newspaper which describes me as “disgraced barrister“. “Disgraced“? Now I think I know from (((where))) that description comes…
I may be disbarred, but am not disgraced except in the little minds of the “usual suspects” and the fools who listen to them.
Incidentally, there were no reporters at all at the sentencing hearing, so that “journalist” (stupid scribbler) has taken his “report” straight from the “CAA” and/or CPS.
There is a lot of news around at present: the Israeli mass slaughter of women and children in Gaza, the Russian elections, the now rather rapid destruction of the misnamed “Conservative” Party. Even in the area of so-called “far-right” “extremism”, on the very same day that I was sentenced (last Thursday), a supposed “far-right” or “neo-Nazi” young man was sentenced to over 2 years in prison for having done not very much.
In view of all that, the story about the retired barrister who said a few supposedly “grossly offensive” things about Jews etc on his blog (read by a fairly small number of people worldwide), and allegedly posted a few cartoons, hardly makes the cut.
I suppose that I should be grateful to, especially, the CPS and the “CAA”, as well as Talk TV, the BBC, and the various Jewish/Zionist and supposedly “antifascist” Twitter/X accounts, and a few small online news outlets, for their diligent work over the past days and months, spreading my words, or alleged words, and my views (or supposed views), so widely.
Their attacks on me, their reportage, and of course the whole recent prosecution of me, have brought my views to the attention of a wider audience by far than my modest blog had so far reached. Thank you.
Finally, I forgot to note that the main policeman (a uniformed constable) who has been involved in my “case” (since 2021), was in court for my sentencing.
I do not propose to name him here (despite his name having been read out in open court), and actually he seems to be generally an amiable young man, though seemingly rather misled ideologically, judging by his dogged snooping on my blog, and by his witness statements.
My point here is that was the same policeman whose “neighbourhood policing team” failed (as far as I know) to do much to deal with a spate of anti-social and acquisitive crime incidents in 2021-2023 in the relatively not-good neighbourhood where I now, perforce, live. Those incidents included the theft of a wheel from my own car in early 2023.
Putting it less politely, the Hampshire Constabulary proved to be utterly useless in doing their proper job.
So there we have it. Next stop— 15 meetings with the Probation Service…
I suppose that I should add a word about appeal to the Crown Court.
At present, I do not intend to appeal on either conviction or sentence.
The present political climate —and this was a political case, and I was charged as part of the UK’s present political repression on free speech— would make an appeal against conviction unlikely to succeed.
Appeals to Crown Court from the magistrates’ court are before a Circuit Judge, assisted by one or two magistrates. So no jury to whom to speak, or to persuade. As for appeal against sentence, the present sentence is not particularly severe. 15 days or part-days of meetings, and a financial impost. The maximum sentence would have been 6 months’ imprisonment (in reality, about 2-3 months).
For me, there would thus seem to be little point in appealing, even though I dispute that I was convicted correctly, or charged correctly.
Finally, I do have a crowdfunder in place to help pay for the £1,000 the case has cost me. Any and all donations gratefully received. Thank you.
https://www.givesendgo.com/GC14J
[Update, 15 April 2024: I only today noticed that the “no-one watches” Talk TV has it on its website that I was “jailed” at my (March 2024) sentencing hearing! Ha ha! The stupid bastards at Talk TV cannot even get the most basic facts right.]
[Update, 9 June 2024: I should point out that my sentence, which was called (some days or weeks later) “absurdly lenient” by the malicious and conspiratorial Jew-Zionist group, “Campaign Against Antisemitism” (which admits to having pushed for 7 years for me to be prosecuted), was made by the learned (and generally quite fair) sentencing judge on the specific recommendation of the Probation Service officer who met me in mid-December 2023 and later drafted a pre-sentence report for the Court. The sentence itself (a “community order” with 15 “rehabilitation days”) exactly followed the recommendation made in that report.]
[Update, 13 September 2024: As of yesterday, I do not have to attend any further meetings with the Probation Service, despite not having actually attended very many: see https://ianrobertmillard.org/2024/09/13/diary-blog-13-september-2024/. My sentence is therefore effectively at an end. “The usual suspects” ((( ))) will be fuming].
Other tweets seen
Interesting and potentially useful.
Also looks useful.
https://radcliffechambers.com/profile/steven-barrett/.
How about dealing with a society rotting from the head down?
£529 Million…
All that money, yet the little money-juggler fails to look, think, or behave like a Prime Minister.
He must have seen that excellent old film, Rififi…[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rififi].
As Marx noted in The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Napoleon, “first time tragedy, second time farce“…
The Westminster monkeyhouse…
From the newspapers
“In August 2020, wildfire burned almost the entire Big Basin Redwoods state park in California, scorching ancient redwood trees, some dating back more than 1,500 years and among the tallest living things on Earth.
Redwoods are naturally fire resistant thanks to their thick bark, but the wildfire was so intense and flames so high the trees’ foliage was destroyed, even in tree canopies more than 300ft high.
It was feared the redwoods would never recover, but a few months later something incredible happened – many of the trees began sprouting tiny leaf needles from blackened trunks and branches, and two years later the forest had turned green.
Much of this fresh growth sprouted from buds under the bark and also deep inside the trees, some buds having lain dormant for more than 1,000 years.”
[The Guardian]
Very good news.
More tweets seen
More music
Well, after all it is St. Patrick’s Day…
More tweets seen
Yvette Cooper. She may soon be the anti-British dictator or tyrant she has always wanted to be. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yvette_Cooper.
Gove. Again.
“Putin: Few people are interested in a large-scale conflict between Russia and NATO In the event of a large-scale conflict between Russia and NATO, the world will be on the threshold of the third world war, however, few people are interested in such a thing happening, said the candidate for the president of Russia Vladimir Putin.“
Russia cannot lose this war, and will not lose it.
Late music
Ian Robert Millard 