Man who filmed himself shouting abuse outside church warned he faces jail
John Lefevre shouted abuse outside Trinity Methodist Church in Widnes
A man who filmed himself shouting abuse outside a church where a support group for asylum seekers was being held has been warned he faces a prison sentence.
John Lefevre, who appeared via video-link from HMP Altcourse at Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday, was asked how he pleaded to a charge of racially aggravated harassment and said: "Guilty on my video."
In footage, seen by the PA news agency and uploaded to Lefevre's Facebook page, the 35-year-old could be heard shouting abuse at people outside Trinity Methodist Church in Widnes, Cheshire, where events are held every Monday to help refugees and asylum seekers with tasks such as filing paperwork and setting up bank accounts.
At one point in the video, he is heard to shout towards one man: "You one-armed c***, what have you done? Got chopped off in your own country, didn't it?"
Addressing another man with a suitcase, he says: "What you got? Guns and bombs in that, yeah?"
He is also heard to ask: "Why you over here, lad?"
The court heard that Lefevre, of Albert Road, Widnes, had a character reference from his mother, in which she said he was not a racist.
Recorder David Knifton KC said:
"It's patent nonsense. Not only did he video exactly what he did but he then uploaded it to Facebook where it attracted further comments of a racist nature."
He added:
"This was a disgraceful incident, not only racially abusive but also abusive to a person about his physical disability. In my view this is a case which will call for immediate custody.
"I want the defendant to be under no illusions about the likely outcome in this case."
He said the incident took place on August 5, in the wake of "tragic events" in Southport, where three girls were killed in a knife attack.
He added:
"We know exactly what sort of behaviour that has led to."
As the hearing came to an end, Lefevre could be heard saying over the video-link: "You just want to hope that lad doesn't do anything."
Carmel Wilde, defending, said:
"I think muting the defendant may assist."
The case was adjourned to September 24 for the preparation of a victim statement and a pre-sentence report.