THE former leader of the right-wing British Movement, Colin Jordan, has accused North Yorkshire Police of carrying out a raid on his home in revenge after he won a legal action against them.

Jordan, aged 77, told a court in Harrogate yesterday that the police never forgave or forgot after he had had a raid they made in 1991 declared illegal. At the time he was awarded £10,000 damages and £4,000 costs.

"They resolved to get me and this they did on August 4, 1998, when in revenge they raided my home again. Seven officers took four hours to ransack the place and seize a huge amount of papers and other property."

Jordan, of Thorgarth, Greenhow Hill, near Pateley Bridge, pleaded not guilty to 11 charges brought under the 1986 Public Order Act claiming distribution of written material which was threatening, abusive or insulting and was intended to stir up racial hatred or was likely to stir up racial hatred. All the offences are said to have been committed at various locations in North Yorkshire between March 1993 and March 1999.

Six of the 11 charges refer to copies of a newsletter entitled Gothic Ripples while two more concern leaflets entitled Election Special and UK General Election 1997. A ninth count concerns a leaflet called Jack Straw's Jewish Justice while others refer to a leaflet entitled Our Steven Lawrence Report and a booklet, Merrie England 2000.

Also in court was Anthony Hancock, aged 53, of St Aubyn's Hove, Sussex, who denied two offences of aiding and abetting Jordan by printing the Merrie England and Jack Straw material.

Presiding magistrate David Marlow ordered both men to stand trial at Crown Court and lifted reporting restrictions at Jordan's request.

But the Bench refused to stay the proceedings after Jordan had contended he had been prejudiced by undue, unconscionable and inordinate delay since the raid two years ago.

He claimed the proceedings were a sequel to the 1991 raid in which his home had also been ransacked but which had been illegal as an invalid warrant had been used. The police had been malicious after his success and in the second raid had seized 8,831 items.

"Not content with the revenge raid they had another go at me and arrested me on the streets of Harrogate on March 3, last year, in order to ransack my home yet again while keeping me in a police cell."

He had since been on bail and his health had been affected. He had heart trouble as well as osteoporosis and gout because of stress.

After Mr Marlow ruled the case should proceed, Mary-Clare Grant, prosecuting, said police had received complaints about literature which was circulating and were advised by the Crown Prosecution Service to raid Jordan's home two years ago. While the laborious task of sifting property was going on, Jordan began to circulate further literature.

The hearing was adjourned until November 1 when both men are expected to be sent for trial before a jury.