Convicted racist Neil Erikson spared jail despite assault and affray conviction
Convicted racist Neil Erikson has escaped a jail stint despite being found guilty of assault with a weapon and affray during an ugly riot outside a Right-wing political convention.
Law & Order
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Convicted racist Neil Erikson has been spared prison for his role in a Right-wing riot after begging a magistrate not to jail him because he is soon to become a father.
After a two-day hearing, Erikson, 33, was this week found guilty of affray and assault with a weapon in a brawl during which hundreds of protesters clashed with police.
A charge of inciting riotous behaviour was dismissed.
Erikson’s lawyer, John Bolton, unsuccessfully argued his client had been acting in self-defence during a confrontation with a group protesting against a speaking appearance by Right-wing commentator Milo Yiannopoulos in Kensington on December 4, 2017.
Erikson told police he had been “in fear” and only stepped in to protect his friends because police “were nowhere”.
And Mr Bolton argued in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court that Erikson was forced into the confrontation and had been protecting his mates when he punched, kicked and hit protesters with a pole.
But after viewing hours of CCTV footage from news media and police bodycams, which showed dozens of riot squad officers rushing to break up the violence, magistrate Michael Smith said Erikson had entered the affray voluntarily.
“No one was attacking him at the time,” Mr Smith said.
“He’s standing on the edge and voluntarily entered the affray with his banner.”
Erikson told the court he regretted the incident and was “never looking for any trouble that day”.
He pleaded with Mr Smith not to lock him up, because he was about to become a father.
The far-Right activist said while he received a small income from making “political videos”, he had been jobless for some time after finding it difficult to get a job because of his “political history”.
Erikson is one of the first people in Victoria to have been charged under racial vilification laws.
In 2017, he and two others were convicted of inciting contempt for Muslims and fined $2000 after they filmed a video of themselves beheading a mannequin outside Bendigo council offices in 2015.
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The film was meant as a protest against the construction of a local mosque.
And last year, he was found guilty of contempt of court for failing to observe orders that he take down social media posts of himself wearing a uniform of a former employer.
One of those posts showed him haranguing former senator Sam Dastyari in a pub.
Mr Smith sentenced Erikson to a 12-month Community Corrections Order.