A man who denies launched a ‘frenzied attack’ on left-wing commentator Owen Jones had extremist memorabilia including a Nazi skull and crossbones in his home but his lawyer said ‘that is only evidence he supports Chelsea’.
James Healy, 40, admits his face was ‘crunched up in anger’ when he attacked Mr Jones, who was out celebrating his birthday, outside the Lexington pub on the Pentonville Road in Islington, north London.
Mr Jones, who is gay and campaigns for LGBT rights, suffered cuts and swelling to his back and head, and was left with bruises down his body in the attack on August 17.
Healy, who has admitted affray and assault occasioning actual bodily harm, is facing a trial of issue at Snaresbrook Crown Court. He insists the attack was sparked by a row inside the pub, but if it is found the attack was to be motivated by homophobia or political views, he faces a higher sentence.
Healy hoarded extremist memorabilia including a Nazi skull and crossbones and ‘SS’ lightning strikes in his Portsmouth home.
But this afternoon Matthew Radstone, defending, argued the memorabilia could only be seen as evidence of Healy’s support for Chelsea FC
Owen Jones (pictured arriving at court today) who is gay and campaigns for LGBT rights, suffered cuts and swelling to his back and head after the attack by James Healy (right)
But the judge, Ms Recorder Anne Studd ruled today that it would ‘enable her to reach a conclusion.’
Healy hid a stash of pins and badges bearing white supremacist insignia in drawers all over his home.
One badge was adorned with the logo of extremist organisation Combat 18, an affiliate group of Chelsea Headhunters who encourage members to ‘execute all queers.’
In a statement read to the court today Mr Jones said: ‘I believe I have been targeted for my political beliefs by far-right sympathisers.
‘This was a systematic attack including multiple death threats and the level of intimidation escalat[ed].’
Healy was handed a five-year football ban in 2017 after rushing the pitch at Hawthorns when Chelsea won the Premier League.
Philip McGhee, prosecuting, said: ‘Mr Healy was associated with a number of far-right extremist groups who are known to be homophobic.
Mr Jones (pictured outside Snaresbrook Crown Court) was left with bruises down his body in the attack on August 17
‘The fact that there have been previous attacks by those groups and their members on Mr Jones goes towards knowledge because if Mr Healy is associated with or a member of these groups then he’s much more likely know who Owen Jones is to if it’s right that Owen Jones has been targeted by those people.’
‘It is said, based on the evidence, that the assault was motivated by hostility borne by the defendant towards the victim either due to the victim’s sexual orientation or political views, or both.
‘The defendant asserts the only motivation is something that happened between him and the victim inside the public house outside which the assault took place.’
The court heard CCTV footage may show an ‘altercation’ between Jones and Healy before they left the pub.
The attack took place outside the Lexington pub on the Pentonville Road in Islington, north London
During legal argument, Healy’s barrister, Matthew Radstone, said: ‘He accepts he did target him, he accepts his face was crunched up, he accepts using the word f***.
‘It is an assault he has pleaded to and a frenzied one at that.’
But the lawyer said prosecutors rely on the opinion of witnesses and items of memorabilia and insignia found in Healy’s home, arguing there is no evidence his client was motivated by homophobia or the victim’s political views.
‘That memorabilia is consistent with Mr Healy being a Chelsea football supporter and part of the Chelsea football supporters’ group, who express themselves with memorabilia and behaviour of the type of insignia in that manner the flags perhaps suggest,’ he said.
If the judge, Recorder Anne Studd QC, finds the assault was politically motivated she could still consider it an aggravating factor, although it is not defined as such in law.
The judge added that there is no jury and that she was sitting alone considering the factual basis.
‘I cannot see any reason for this evidence to be erased from my mind, either the witness evidence or in relation to the items found at his home address.
‘It is properly admissible for the purposes of sentence and capable of assisting the judge in determining motive.
‘It will be for me to decide the weight of that material. It may be having heard the evidence that I decide [it] was motivated purely by what the incident in the public house earlier.
‘The evidence of the witnesses and the finding of memorabilia in his house will enable me to reach those conclusions and any the inferences I can safely draw.
‘It would be wrong to exclude those parts of the evidence.’
Referring to Healy’s claim that violence erupted after an ‘altercation’ inside the pub the judge added: ‘Mr Healy said in his statement that he assaulted Mr Jones because he barged him in the pub and spilt his drink.
‘Mr Jones said he was unaware of any spilled drink and as he left the lavatory he bent down to tie his shoes two people who purported to be fans of his journalism asked if he was Owen Jones and he confirmed his identity to them’.
The trial of issue, which is not in front of a jury, is expected to last up to two days.
Healy, from, Portsmouth, will be sentenced at a later date along with Charlie Ambrose, 30, from Brighton and Liam Tracey, 34, from Camden, who have previously pleaded guilty to affray over the incident.
Ambrose and Tracey previously both denied a charge of ABH and the charge was left to lie on file, with prosecutors accepting their actions were not motivated by homophobia.