Anti-racism campaigners have accused the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) of dragging its feet after a radio presenter was jailed for vile Jew-hatred more than two years after he was reported — during which time he committed further offences.
Graham Hart, 69, was this week sentenced to 32 months’ imprisonment and banned for broadcasting for 10 years after he admitted eight counts of producing a programme that was likely to stir up racial hatred.
In his broadcasts, which were detailed in court, Hart claimed that Hitler targeted Jews because they were “filth” and called on an armed struggle to drive them out of Britain.
He said: “Why did Hitler want to gas them? Why did Hitler hate the Jews? Why have they been kicked out of 79 countries 199 times? Because they’re filth, that’s why.”
He also asked listeners to send him a gun so that he could take part in the fight. “I don’t want to go with bloodshed but if that’s what it’s going to take, let’s get it done,” he said. “I’m not armed… I wish I was. If anyone in the chatroom or any of the listeners want to send me a gun, it would be nice.”
Hart’s Jew-hatred was first identified by the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA), headed by Gideon Falter, in 2019. Representatives handed a dossier of evidence to the Devon and Cornwall police in February of that year.
During a 10-month police probe that followed, officers recovered material presenting the Holocaust as a hoax and ridiculing Jewish people from Hart’s social media accounts, and seized books related to the Shoah from his property.
The case was then referred to the CPS, which “did nothing with the file” for 14 months, campaigners said. Hart committed at least one further offence during that period.
The CPS only took action after an intervention by the independent peer Ian Austin, who contacted the organisation earlier this year to demand that it take the case more seriously.
Hart was eventually charged with five counts of using offending words or behaviour.
Three further charges were added following further investigation by the CAA.
CAA’s director of investigations and enforcement, Stephen Silverman, said: “The sentencing would have come much sooner were it not for the usual feet-dragging from the Crown Prosecution, which was not nearly as proactive as the police. Hart’s crimes constituted some of the most extreme hatred towards Jews that we have ever encountered.
“It is intolerable for the Jewish community to have to depend, as in this case, on intervention by peers and leading politicians for the CPS to do its duty.”
Lord Austin said: “I was very concerned when CAA told me how much time it was taking the CPS to deal with this case, and wrote to them to ask why and to urge them to take it more seriously.
“I am really pleased he has been convicted and sentenced, but we need the police and the CPS to take these cases much more seriously and to deal with them more quickly in future.”
The charges were related to offences that occurred between July 2016 and December 2020.
The former Cornish singer and musician had converted his garage into a makeshift radio station which he used “to peddle hatred”, Judge Robert Linford at Truro Crown Court said this week. The trial heard that Hart had told listeners: “Let’s get rid of the Jews, it’s time for them to go.
“After Christmas I’m going to work, going on the attack because I’ve had enough. I don’t want bloodshed but if that’s what it takes to get it done.”
The court was also told that Hart spoke of “taking up arms” to “take back” the country.
A CPS spokesperson said: “Claims the CPS is hesitant to prosecute antisemitic crimes are completely untrue. Antisemitic hate crime is abhorrent and completely unacceptable. Whenever our legal test is met — as was the case with Graham Hart — we do not hesitate to prosecute.
“Following our decision to charge, Hart was convicted and sentenced to 32 months’ imprisonment.
“All CPS decisions are made following detailed consideration of the evidence and are not influenced by third party interventions.”
