Dickens and Shakespeare or jail time: British suspect can choose

A man from the English town of Lincoln has been given a choice by a judge between jail time or reading books and plays by Jane Austen, William Shakespeare, Thomas Hardy and Charles Dickens.

The now 21-year-old man came into the picture three years ago through a letter to the police. He wrote that he was a member of the “fascist underground” and railed against gays and immigrants.

He was placed in a prevention program, but continued to download far-right documents. He also downloaded a manual for making bombs. Police arrested him in January under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

The jury of the Leicester court found him guilty of possessing information believed to be used in the preparation of an act of terrorism. The maximum sentence for this is fifteen years.

a lonely person

This went too far for the judge. In his eyes, it is a “reckless act of a teenager”. He didn’t believe the man really intended to harm anyone, but warned him that he ran the risk of being recruited by like-minded people who were willing to take action.

After the man promised that he would no longer delve into far-right documents, the judge asked: “Have you ever read Dickens? Austen? Start with Pride and Prejudice. On A Tale of Two Cities from Dickens. Shakespeares Twelfth Night. Think of Hardy, think of Trollope.” It is not clear from the British media why the judge thought the man should read English literature.

The man chose literature. He must return in four months, the judge said. “On January 4, you tell me what you’ve read. I’ll test you and if I think you’re lying to me, you’re going to have a hard time.”

He was given a two-year suspended prison sentence. During that time he is under the supervision of the probation service. He also had to promise that he would no longer delve into extreme right-wing material.

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