'Truly pernicious' right-wing campaigners lose court appeal

But the Court of Appeal in London reduced Simon Sheppard's sentence of four years and 10 months by a year and Stephen Whittle's term of two years and four months by six months.

Sheppard, 52, and Whittle, 42, were jailed at Leeds Crown Court in July last year after they were charged, under the Public Order Act, with publishing racially inflammatory material, distributing racially inflammatory material and possessing racially inflammatory material with a view to distribution.

Sheppard, of Brook Street, Selby, North Yorkshire, was found guilty of 16 offences and Whittle, of Avenham Lane, Preston, Lancashire, was found guilty of five.

During their first trial in 2008, they skipped bail and fled to California, where they sought asylum claiming they were being persecuted for their right-wing views, but were deported.

The police investigation began after a complaint about a leaflet called 'Tales of the Holohoax', which was pushed through the door of a Blackpool synagogue and traced to a post office box in Hull registered to Sheppard.

Published material found later included images of murdered Jews alongside cartoons and articles ridiculing ethnic groups.

At the appeal, Sheppard's counsel, Adrian Davies, challenged the convictions on the grounds of jurisdiction, the meaning of "publication" and whether the material on the internet was "written material" within the meaning of the Act.

Giving their ruling, Lord Justice Scott Baker noted that the judge had said he had rarely seen or read such "truly pernicious" material that was so abusive and insulting towards racial groups in this country.