Ex-Royal Marine Jamie Michael has revealed he was pressured to plead guilty and denied legal representation after being charged with stirring racial hatred on Facebook.
Speaking to GB News, Michael detailed his ordeal following his arrest for a video posted after the Southport murders.
The 46-year-old former Manchester United apprentice was unanimously acquitted by a jury at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court in just 17 minutes.
Michael credits the Free Speech Union with helping secure his freedom after spending 20 days remanded in prison.
Michael revealed he was pressured to plead guilty
GB NEWS
Speaking to GB News, Jamie Michael said: “I told them I’m not pleading guilty, but they said, you should think about this, because they were comparing similar charges at the time.
“They mentioned that these people were facing 2 to 4 years, so I could be looking at possibly 3 years, and that could reduce my sentence.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
- ‘Multiculturalism has failed!’ – Comedian and author slams censorship in rallying free speech call
- ‘We had freedom of speech back then, we haven’t now’: Veterans praise those who gave their lives for our freedoms during new brunch club
- Michael Portillo admits ‘I started cheering’ as JD Vance STUNNED European ‘commissars’ with blistering attack
“I kept repeating to them that I’ve never said anything racial, and I’m not racist. I have immigrant friends, mixed-race friends, and I just stuck to my guns.
“But he kept saying, ‘I think you need to think about it.’ So, he guided me toward the no-plea option.
“For my first court appearance in the magistrate’s court, I went with a ‘no plea,’ which was a mistake because I should have entered a ‘not guilty’ plea from the start.
“Also, I was denied a phone call until after my police interview. They said it was due to the charge I was facing, and otherwise, I would have sought a solicitor as recommended.
He was arrested for a post on Facebook
GB NEWS
“In the end, I contacted the Free Speech Union, which helped me out of this mess.
“From now on, my message to everyone is, if you ever find yourself at a police station, just call the Free Speech Union.”
Prosecutors claimed Michael’s tone in the video had been “unrelentingly negative” towards migrants.
But defence barrister Adam King argued it was “beyond obvious” the strong language did not refer to all migrants.
“The overall tone and message is totally fair enough – do more to stop child murderers or similar from coming into the country,” Mr King told the court.
The jury took less than an hour to return a unanimous not guilty verdict.