BNP candidate's criminal past "will boost vote"
by Neil Millard
neil.millard@essnmedia.co.uk
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CONVICTED ACTIVIST: Charlotte Lewis
CCRPM220908E by Paul Martyniuk
The BNP says revelations about its candidate's criminal past as an animal rights activist will "increase its share of the vote".
BNP spokesman Robert Bailey made the comments after Charlotte Lewis' 2001 conviction emerged.
Lewis, who is fighting the Waddon by-election in little under a week, was handed a six-month prison sentence.
Lewis, of Bensham Lane, Thornton Heath, admitted sending death threats to staff of Huntingdon Life Sciences and pleaded guilty to four charges of harassment.
But Mr Bailey told the Advertiser this week: "It's free advertising. There's no such thing as bad publicity.
"It's extra publicity for us and it will increase our share of the vote.
"It was ages ago. I honestly don't feel it's worth commenting on. I'm not going to make a big deal out of it."
The activist was linked to the letters she sent current and former staff of the Cambridgeshire firm after DNA in her saliva was matched with that on the envelopes.
Lewis will be fighting the Waddon by-election on behalf of the BNP on Thursday next week (February 12).
A concerned Croydon resident said of the choice of candidate: "For a party like that to put up somebody like this is absolutely outrageous.
"What kind of political party stands candidates like that?"
Lewis was sentenced to six months in jail in January 2001 at Peterborough Crown Court.
But Mr Bailey said the conviction would not damage the BNP vote.
"She only sent some letters," he said. "If you have met Charlotte you will know that she hasn't got a threatening bone in her body.
"She was punished for what she did and we believe in giving people a second chance. We didn't think that it should hold her back from standing as a candidate."
The letters she sent included phrases like "Dear animal abusing scum" and one displayed the chilling warning: "If you don't quit HLS then your life will not be worth living.
"You will always have to be looking over your shoulder."
In another she wrote: "This is a warning. Your life is in grave danger if you don't stop working at HLS.
"You will find yourself having a gun aimed at your stupidly ugly head."
Judge Richard Pollard had told her the letters had brought "fear and anguish to people going about their peaceful and lawful business".
Lewis wrote two letters to Mark and Julie Farrance, Charles Owen and Jennifer Howlett.
The court was told Mrs Howlett, who had not worked at HLS for two years when the letters were sent, was left "hysterical and very scared".







88 Comments
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by The_Third_Eye
Tuesday, February 21 2012, 11:58AM
“http://tinyurl.com/7hmyddj
and her dressed as the people she openly despises
http://tinyurl.com/yyd68zw
http://tinyurl.com/7632ecg
What more is there to say, I'm fed up with the UKBA and their clear failings. Because of this incident http://tinyurl.com/6u83wnm
Parties like the BNP will certainly get more votes
The jist of the story
Security checks had been suspended regularly and applied inconsistently since at least 2007
Checks against the Home Office Warnings Index were not carried out on about 500,000 European Economic Area nationals travelling to the UK on Eurostar services from France
An operation was carried out at Heathrow Airport in which students from supposedly low-risk countries were allowed to enter the UK even when they did not have the necessary entry clearance.
Secure ID checks were suspended 482 times between June 2010 and November 2011, including 463 times at Heathrow
Between January and June 2011, prior to the introduction of a pilot which relaxed border checks in specific situations, "the biometric chip reading facility had been deactivated on 14,812 occasions at a number of ports"
You have to ask yourself just how many dangerous and unwanted people are now on our shores.
Abu Qatada is just the tip of the iceberg and I suspect the Olympics is going to be a very nervous affair.
I feel The Advertiser has already given Charlotte Lewis to much time and attention, not to mention the free publicity. There are people that have never heard of Charlotte Lewis now talking about her and agreeing with some of her views.
All the Advertiser has done is increase the amount of people she can spout her rubbish too.
I have no alliances to the BNP (or any other political party) I rarely vote, what's the point? The Government always wins!!”
by Desmond, Peckham with Pork Pie
Sunday, February 15 2009, 11:34AM
“She gets my vote, but a night with me and she needed a wheelchair”
by LilacHamster, SW London
Wednesday, February 11 2009, 6:48PM
“Am I alone in finding it absolutely sickening that some people who hate the bnp because they rightly hate racism are still so in favour of speciesism, since all discrimination and hatred of those who are different is linked and is all basically the same thing? I am sad to hear that this lady left a legitimate cause, animal rights, the most important freedom and liberation movement of our present time, to stand for the bnp. I would never vote bnp myself, and I do not think they are very much for AR, and might be pro-hunting even. I don't know you personally Charlotte but I hope you come back to defending the animals and join a party that cares for animals instead of the bnp. I think you are misguided but not a bad person!”
by Jed, Waddon
Sunday, February 08 2009, 1:23PM
“If she's a scrounger what about those that arrive here for free housing and benefits and medical treatment?
She's got my vote”
by Mr.Angry, Purley
Sunday, February 08 2009, 9:45AM
“Oh yes what a reason to vote for her,sympathy rules : LOL!”
by LT, Croydon
Saturday, February 07 2009, 8:45PM
“Well , she's a scrounger - years on the waiting list to get a Council house - why not get off her backside and pay for her full market price for a property like others have to? A criminal also, and to top it representing a racist party. She is a waste of human skin - i.e. the perfect candidate for the BNP.”
by Enoch, Croydon
Saturday, February 07 2009, 7:45PM
“Aran of Cambridge - I have read all of your posts and have to say that i agree with the majority of what you say, other than the animal stuff that, i have to be honest, i really do not care much about.
With regards to the BNP and Charlotte Lewis - please understand that Croydon is not Cambridge - Croydon has become, over the last 10 years or so, a place where the average WASP - or white english person - is a minority, and there is nothing we can do about that. It has also become a place where children are being killed on a regular basis, knife crime is a near daily occurance, elderly people are attacked both in their own home and in the street,
and if dare look at a black youth,, male or female, whilst walking down the street, you are taking you life in to your own hands as you will be seen as Dissing them. Penalty? Verbal attack if you are lucky.
I do not support Charlotte, sorry girl but you are not the most switched on person in the world, and you like bunny rabbits far too much for my liking.
I DO support the fact that too many people in this town of ours have had enough, and when they resort to the tragic end of even considering supporting the BNP - that does not mean they support the likes of Charlotte - Nick Griffin or start denying the holocaust, in the same way i am sure that there are people who have views that border extremism of their own such as the islamist and catholic and others.
This means that they are sick and tired of they way things are, and if that means that maybe reducing the amount of immigrants coming into the country (Not kicking everyone out as you may think) and giving harsher penalties for serious crime (That does not include missing a months rent)
Then so be it.
I Have always been, for my sins , a conservative supporter, however i am now inclined to support the BNP because and i hope that one day the image will change to such that someone like you, a British Mixed Race Female, working hard to make a living and also sick of being taken advantage of, will not neccesarily support the BNP, but not be ashamed to think that some of their views are not too far off the beaten track.”
by Arfur Towcrate, Waddon, actually
Saturday, February 07 2009, 7:37PM
“You're probably never that far away from a BNP supporter - a bit like rats, really.”
by Want it..., New addington
Saturday, February 07 2009, 6:40PM
“I suppose if she was a mas- murderer it would be class as good publicity for BNP. but if she came round to my door I,d give her money to buy make up ASAP? ........
Class!!...”
by Waddon resident, Waddon
Saturday, February 07 2009, 5:50PM
“We are getting pretty fed up with all these leaflets and people knocking on our doors telling us not to vote for the bnp
I had no intention of voting for anyone but if another leaflet comes thro my letterbox telling me not to vote for then then I will!!”