A serving councillor and former town mayor posted a dozen antisemitic tweets over nearly a month, alleged the prosecution at York Crown Court.
A jury was shown tweets made on the social media platform X on an account called CllrPatMarsh claiming that Jews are a “disgrace to this world” and referring to the Holocaust.
One tweet said: “I hope you Jews out there feel proud of yourselves. For a so-called religious group, you are evil.”
The jurors were also shown a second X account called RandPMarsh which had reposted tweets from other accounts referring to the actions of Israel in Gaza in early 2024 and responses to the actions.
Ashleigh Metcalfe, prosecuting, alleged that both accounts were operated by Patricia Marsh, when she was a serving North Yorkshire councillor. She is also a former Harrogate mayor.
Marsh, now 78, is not in the dock at York Crown Court.
The Recorder of York, Judge Sean Morris, told the jury psychiatrists for the prosecution and defence had found her mentally unfit to stand trial and she had been declared physically unfit to attend court.
Their task, he told the jurors, was to decide whether she had done the acts that the prosecution allege amount to the charge of stirring up racial hatred by distributing written material that was threatening, abusive or insulting, and that was likely to stir up racial hatred.
Marsh, of Harrogate Road, Knaresborough, has not been able to enter a plea because of her mental condition and if the jury find she has performed the acts, she will not be convicted of an offence.
RECOMMENDED READING:
'Self-centred deceitful' company boss guilty of causing death of York motorcyclist
PICTURES: historic York pub completes £3million-plus extension
North Yorkshire hotelier hails York's 'roaring' hospitality sector and summer surge
She is alleged to have made the tweets between January 21, 2024 and February 19, 2024.
Det Con Kirsty Greenbank of Harrogate Police told the jury Marsh was 75 at the time of the tweets and had been a Harrogate councillor for more than 30 years.
On February 19, 2024, a man went to Harrogate Police Station to complain about tweets he had seen on the CllrPatMarsh account and provided screenshots of them. They included: “This is what you Jews are doing, I hope you feel proud, you are a disgrace to this world.”
The next day a couple rang the police station about tweets on the same account featured in a Harrogate newspaper and on February 21, a second man emailed the police about tweets on the same account featured in an article in the Gazette and Herald.
At 1.50pm on February 20, police went to Marsh’s house where they seized three mobile phones and three laptops and arrested her. She did not answer questions when interviewed.
A computer expert found IT evidence on the laptop showing it had been used to post the tweets mentioned in the articles and the screenshots, the jury heard.
Solicitor advocate Eric Watson, who is appointed by the court to look after Marsh’s interests, as she is unable to give formal instructions to a lawyer, did not give any cross-examination.
The jury is expected to consider its decision today (Friday, August 21).
Share