Piers Portman, four month jail sentence.
Hopefully the following from "Court News UK" will ignite the freedom of speech debate again.
A millionaire heir to the Portman property empire who racially abused an anti-Semitism campaigner outside a court has been jailed for four months.
Piers Portman, 50, who is the son of Edward, 9th Viscount Portman of Bryanston, called Campaign Against Antisemitism CEO Gideon Falter ‘Jewish scum’ at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 14 June 2018.
He also described his own Jewish ex-wife as a ‘greedy, grasping, thieving and lying criminal manipulator of the system.’
The Harrow-educated aristocrat’s family owns the Portman Estate, which covers 110 acres of Marylebone in West London, including the land under Westminster Magistrates’ Court.
Mr Falter was leaving the building after a court hearing for anti semite Alison Chabloz-Tyrer when he was abused by Portman.
Passing sentence on Portman, Judge Gregory Perrins said that crowd including men in Nazi replica uniforms at the Chabloz-Tyrer sentencing hearing was a ‘who’s who of Nazi deniers and extremists’.
‘You have shown no insight at the impact of your offending and no remorse and continue to see yourself as the victim,’ the judge told Portman.
‘At the trial you told the jury you were an honourable British man.
‘You are, I am afraid, anything but.’
Judge Perrins also ordered Portman to pay £10,000 in court costs and a further £10,000 in compensation to Mr Falter.
‘You are an extremely wealthy man, in the circumstances I do not see why you shouldn’t pay for your trial,’ added the judge.
‘It would be ultimately a matter for Mr Falter, however I agree it would be appropriate to donate that to the Campaign Against Antisemitism.’
Shaved-headed Portman in black trousers and a navy water-proof jacket stood with his mouth agape as he heard he would be taken to jail while his mother supported him from the public gallery.
Lewis Power, QC, defending, told the court that his client, of a ‘proud heritage’ and a good family now had a ‘permanent stain’ on his reputation.
‘The stain of prejudice, as your Honour knows, is often inedible,’ said Mr Power.
The barrister called Portman a ‘now broken man’ who knew he needed to be punished but merely asked for clemency.
‘At the time of the incident, Mr Portman had undergone and suffered a traumatic divorce which may have impactive his perspective him life,’ said Mr Power.
‘Since that date Mr Portman has become ostracized from his family.
‘The rift has widened between him and family members and indeed his three children.’
The court heard that one the date of the incident Portman had been feeling ‘emotional’ over the divorce and was in London for a doctor’s appointment his concerned mother had booked.
‘That appointment was sadly cancelled, and with time on his head he went to Westminster Magistrates Court,’ said Mr Power.
‘He has no history of affiliation with any political groups.
‘He believed he may have seen similarities between what he was experiencing in the divorce courts and what Ms Chabloz was experiencing.’
Mr Power further argued that his client’s interest in Chabloz’s case was just a ‘distraction from his personal issues at the time.
‘He refutes the suggestion he hates anyone who is Jewish as he has two children who are Jewish.
‘He wants the court to know he doesn’t want anyone to suffer and he finds racism abhorrent.’
Mr Power said that because Portman, who stood maskless in the dock, had not been vaccinated against Covid prison would be an ‘alarming’ environment for him.
Portman had sent Campaign against Antisemitism (CAS) a letter on 11 January 2018, which with references to the renowned divorce lawyer to the stars, Baroness of Belgravia Fiona Shackleton.
The letter also referenced ‘the Talmud-inspired playing the victim’, Southwark crown court heard.
He abused his own wife Tracy in the letter, stating: ‘I am currently married, for 13 years to a greedy, grasping, thieving and lying criminal manipulator of the system that also happens to be Jewish.
‘Lately, my wife has taken it upon herself to see her husband as an asset and owing to my disobedience, she has hired the services of the Baroness of Belgravia, Fiona Shackleton, another greedy, grasping and lying manipulator of the system that happens to be Jewish.’
The letter ended: ‘Can you please tell me what exactly your charity involves?
‘Since when is collecting donations to force your opinion on others an act of charity?
‘Why don’t you leave the poor middle-aged woman alone and come perform your charity on me?’
Mr Falter told jurors he ‘had just walked through a Who’s Who of Holocaust deniers, Neo-Nazis, extremists’ when Portman approached him as he got out of the lift at Westminster Magistrates court.
He said: ‘I didn’t want to give him my hand, I said: “I’m sorry, I can’t shake your hand, because I don’t know who you are.
‘He lost his temper, he got quite aggressive.
‘He said: “I’m Piers Portman, I’ve written to you before! Come after me you Jewish scum, come and persecute me, come and get me!”
‘I felt cornered in the lift, Portman followed me, continuing what he was saying.
‘Portman tired to leave and I put my arm out and said: “You can’t leave, wait for the police.”
Mr Falter said Portman was ‘very, very enraged.’
Court security then let Portman leave before police officers arrived at the scene, and was gone when police tried to locate him.
Twice married father-of-three Portman denied using the words ‘Jewish scum’ and said: ‘It’s not in my nature or character.
Alison Chabloz-Tyler
‘I’m an honourable British man who was brought up to show respect to a fellow human.
‘In my opinion the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism have colluded with each other, they’ve created witnesses that are not independent.
‘They’ve agreed upon statements to persecute myself and there are many previous examples.
‘The allegations are desperate, they’re defamation, they’re less than honourable.’
But the jury rejected his denials and convicted him of religiously aggravated harassment with intent.
Portman, of The Portman Estate, Portman Square, central London, denied the charge.
Chabloz-Tyrer, 57, was convicted of three charges for posting offensive songs about the Holocaust and handed a suspended jail sentence in May 2018.
In the songs, the music teacher who refers to herself a ‘historical revisionist’, sings: ‘Did the Holocaust ever happen? Was it just a bunch of lies? Seems that some intend to pull the wool over our eyes.’
She said Auschwitz is ‘a theme park just for fools’ and ‘the gassing zone, a proven hoax, indoctrination rules.’
Earlier this year Chabloz-Tyrer was convicted of using ‘grossly offensive terminology’ on a US podcast she promoted via a far-right social media website called Gab.
She was sentenced to 18 weeks jail in April but her sentence was increased to 32 weeks last month after she lost her appeal at Southwark Crown Court.
A millionaire heir to the Portman property empire who racially abused an anti-Semitism campaigner outside a court has been jailed for four months.
Piers Portman, 50, who is the son of Edward, 9th Viscount Portman of Bryanston, called Campaign Against Antisemitism CEO Gideon Falter ‘Jewish scum’ at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 14 June 2018.
He also described his own Jewish ex-wife as a ‘greedy, grasping, thieving and lying criminal manipulator of the system.’
The Harrow-educated aristocrat’s family owns the Portman Estate, which covers 110 acres of Marylebone in West London, including the land under Westminster Magistrates’ Court.
Mr Falter was leaving the building after a court hearing for anti semite Alison Chabloz-Tyrer when he was abused by Portman.
Passing sentence on Portman, Judge Gregory Perrins said that crowd including men in Nazi replica uniforms at the Chabloz-Tyrer sentencing hearing was a ‘who’s who of Nazi deniers and extremists’.
‘You have shown no insight at the impact of your offending and no remorse and continue to see yourself as the victim,’ the judge told Portman.
‘At the trial you told the jury you were an honourable British man.
‘You are, I am afraid, anything but.’
Judge Perrins also ordered Portman to pay £10,000 in court costs and a further £10,000 in compensation to Mr Falter.
‘You are an extremely wealthy man, in the circumstances I do not see why you shouldn’t pay for your trial,’ added the judge.
‘It would be ultimately a matter for Mr Falter, however I agree it would be appropriate to donate that to the Campaign Against Antisemitism.’
Shaved-headed Portman in black trousers and a navy water-proof jacket stood with his mouth agape as he heard he would be taken to jail while his mother supported him from the public gallery.
Lewis Power, QC, defending, told the court that his client, of a ‘proud heritage’ and a good family now had a ‘permanent stain’ on his reputation.
‘The stain of prejudice, as your Honour knows, is often inedible,’ said Mr Power.
The barrister called Portman a ‘now broken man’ who knew he needed to be punished but merely asked for clemency.
‘At the time of the incident, Mr Portman had undergone and suffered a traumatic divorce which may have impactive his perspective him life,’ said Mr Power.
‘Since that date Mr Portman has become ostracized from his family.
‘The rift has widened between him and family members and indeed his three children.’
The court heard that one the date of the incident Portman had been feeling ‘emotional’ over the divorce and was in London for a doctor’s appointment his concerned mother had booked.
‘That appointment was sadly cancelled, and with time on his head he went to Westminster Magistrates Court,’ said Mr Power.
‘He has no history of affiliation with any political groups.
‘He believed he may have seen similarities between what he was experiencing in the divorce courts and what Ms Chabloz was experiencing.’
Mr Power further argued that his client’s interest in Chabloz’s case was just a ‘distraction from his personal issues at the time.
‘He refutes the suggestion he hates anyone who is Jewish as he has two children who are Jewish.
‘He wants the court to know he doesn’t want anyone to suffer and he finds racism abhorrent.’
Mr Power said that because Portman, who stood maskless in the dock, had not been vaccinated against Covid prison would be an ‘alarming’ environment for him.
Portman had sent Campaign against Antisemitism (CAS) a letter on 11 January 2018, which with references to the renowned divorce lawyer to the stars, Baroness of Belgravia Fiona Shackleton.
The letter also referenced ‘the Talmud-inspired playing the victim’, Southwark crown court heard.
He abused his own wife Tracy in the letter, stating: ‘I am currently married, for 13 years to a greedy, grasping, thieving and lying criminal manipulator of the system that also happens to be Jewish.
‘Lately, my wife has taken it upon herself to see her husband as an asset and owing to my disobedience, she has hired the services of the Baroness of Belgravia, Fiona Shackleton, another greedy, grasping and lying manipulator of the system that happens to be Jewish.’
The letter ended: ‘Can you please tell me what exactly your charity involves?
‘Since when is collecting donations to force your opinion on others an act of charity?
‘Why don’t you leave the poor middle-aged woman alone and come perform your charity on me?’
Mr Falter told jurors he ‘had just walked through a Who’s Who of Holocaust deniers, Neo-Nazis, extremists’ when Portman approached him as he got out of the lift at Westminster Magistrates court.
He said: ‘I didn’t want to give him my hand, I said: “I’m sorry, I can’t shake your hand, because I don’t know who you are.
‘He lost his temper, he got quite aggressive.
‘He said: “I’m Piers Portman, I’ve written to you before! Come after me you Jewish scum, come and persecute me, come and get me!”
‘I felt cornered in the lift, Portman followed me, continuing what he was saying.
‘Portman tired to leave and I put my arm out and said: “You can’t leave, wait for the police.”
Mr Falter said Portman was ‘very, very enraged.’
Court security then let Portman leave before police officers arrived at the scene, and was gone when police tried to locate him.
Twice married father-of-three Portman denied using the words ‘Jewish scum’ and said: ‘It’s not in my nature or character.
Alison Chabloz-Tyler
‘I’m an honourable British man who was brought up to show respect to a fellow human.
‘In my opinion the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism have colluded with each other, they’ve created witnesses that are not independent.
‘They’ve agreed upon statements to persecute myself and there are many previous examples.
‘The allegations are desperate, they’re defamation, they’re less than honourable.’
But the jury rejected his denials and convicted him of religiously aggravated harassment with intent.
Portman, of The Portman Estate, Portman Square, central London, denied the charge.
Chabloz-Tyrer, 57, was convicted of three charges for posting offensive songs about the Holocaust and handed a suspended jail sentence in May 2018.
In the songs, the music teacher who refers to herself a ‘historical revisionist’, sings: ‘Did the Holocaust ever happen? Was it just a bunch of lies? Seems that some intend to pull the wool over our eyes.’
She said Auschwitz is ‘a theme park just for fools’ and ‘the gassing zone, a proven hoax, indoctrination rules.’
Earlier this year Chabloz-Tyrer was convicted of using ‘grossly offensive terminology’ on a US podcast she promoted via a far-right social media website called Gab.
She was sentenced to 18 weeks jail in April but her sentence was increased to 32 weeks last month after she lost her appeal at Southwark Crown Court.