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Liverpool, 23 April 2010
(Telegraph): An atheist who left leaflets mocking Jesus
Christ, Islam and the Pope in an international airport's
prayer room has been given an “Anti-social behaviour
order.”
Harry Taylor, 59, left home made posters at Liverpool
John Lennon Airport three times in November and December
2008.
The self-styled philosopher denied three counts of
causing religiously aggravated harassment, alarm or
distress but was convicted in less than an hour by a
unanimous jury.
Among the posters, one image showed a smiling crucified
Christ next to an advert for a brand of ''no nails''
glue.
In another, a cartoon depicted two Muslims holding a
placard demanding equality with the caption: ''Not for
women or gays, obviously.''
Islamic suicide bombers at the gates of paradise were
told in another: ''Stop, stop, we've run out of
virgins.''
Taylor, of Griffin Street, Higher Broughton, Salford,
told Liverpool Crown Court during his trial he was
sexually abused by Catholic priests as a youngster.
But he said he bore no grudge against people of faith
and claimed he was merely trying to convert believers to
atheism.
Unemployed Taylor, on medication for depression, said it
was ''preposterous'' to suggest people could be incited
to violence by cartoons - another of his depicted the
Pope with a condom on his finger.
He had adapted newspaper and magazine cartoons and added
captions of his own - one made a crude joke on a picture
of a woman kneeling in front of a priest.
But some of his cartoons went way beyond exercising
freedom of expression, prosecutor Neville Biddle said.
One image showed a pig excreting sausages with insults
to Islam, and others linked Muslims to attacks on
airports.
It is thought Taylor, who was convicted of criminal
damage, battery and threatening behaviour in February
this year, might have dumped the images when he was at
the airport collecting and saying goodbye to his Polish
wife.
He told the jury he left the posters in tribute to John
Lennon, whose acclaimed Imagine referenced ''a world
with no religion''.
Today, it emerged Taylor, was convicted of similar
offences in 2006.
The previous December he was arrested handing out
offensive leaflets in Waterstone's book store in
Deansgate, Manchester.
Police discovered he had also visited a nearby Tesco and
unplugged the Christmas music because he found it
offensive.
Taylor had also visited two city centre churches, St
Ann's Church and St Mary's, known as the Hidden Gem.
Inside the left leaflets including a picture of a monk
making a finger gesture with the caption ''Father
F****r''.
Judge James told him: ''Not only have you shown no
remorse for what you did but even now you continue to
maintain that you have done nothing wrong and say that
whenever you feel like it you intend to do the same
thing again in the future.''
1Taylor's Anti-Social Behaviour Order bans him from
carrying religiously offensive material in a public
place.
He was sentenced to six months in jail suspended for two
years, ordered to perform 100 hours' of unpaid work and
pay £250 costs.
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