Articles by Patrick Edrich

Politics

Neo-Nazi 'high priest' who called for 'holy race war' to be released from prison early

The "high priest" of a racist church which called for a "holy race war" is due to be released from his prison sentence despite his own supporters saying he hasn't "compromised on his beliefs". James Costello was identified as the self-styled "high priest" of the Creativity Movement, which "unashamedly promoted white supremacy and neo-Nazi ideology" and boasted an army of "fanatics capable of very serious and deadly violence". The 40-year-old, formerly of Old Rough Lane in Kirkby , spread racist propaganda in the form of written materials and personally-narrated audiobooks which "called for the subjugation and elimination of non-white persons and the establishment of a white master race". Liverpool Crown Court heard in November 2023 that the material was "awful and frightening and intended to disturb and disrupt our society". Costello also has ties to far-right group Patriotic Alternative , which distributed hundreds of leaflets attacking migrants across Merseyside in the days before the Suites hotel Kirkby riots in 2023. Costello was sentenced to five years in prison in November 2023 after he was found guilty of 19 counts of stirring up racial hatred by publishing materials. But the ECHO understands Costello is due to be released from his sentence later this month after only serving 40% of his term. And worryingly his supporters have said Costello's beliefs are as extreme as they were before he was jailed. In a post on Telegram, Laura Towler, deputy leader of Patriotic Alternative, said: "James Costello is getting out of prison this month...He is still on licence for the remainder of his sentence so he will likely be excluded from any political activity, but know that he is resolute in his beliefs and despite the suppression and harassment he’s faced over the last two years, he didn’t compromise on his beliefs once." As part of an emergency early release government scheme to help ease overcrowding in prisons, some inmates can be freed after serving 40% of their fixed term sentence, rather than the usual 50%. It does not apply for sentences for serious violent offences, sex offences or terrorist offences. An HM Prison and Probation Service spokesperson told the ECHO : "Offenders released on licence are subject to strict conditions and we do not hesitate to send them back to prison if they break the rules." The ECHO understands if Costello displays any behaviour which suggests he poses an increased risk to the public he would face being returned to prison. Costello, who is a former soldier who fled the army after suffering a bad back, is expected to be released back into the community by the end of this month. He has spent his sentence at HMP Liverpool , HMP Manchester and most recently at HMP Lancaster Farms. Much of the content Costello distributed in his "high priest" role was "dripping with hate", the court heard. Much of the content of these materials cannot be repeated due to its highly offensive nature. But the ECHO revealed that contained within the numerous documents spread by Costello were abhorrent references to Jewish people and people of colour. Police raided Costello's home in August 2021 after receiving numerous complaints when stickers "promoting" the group's activities were left in public places around Merseyside over the previous months. They seized flags and banners bearing its messages from his house after linking him to the website's IP address. The seized materials contained "imagery with strong Nazist and white supremacist overtones", all in the colours of red, white and black to "replicate Nazi imagery" . Costello meanwhile stated in his evidence from the witness box that he had been the "worldwide leader of the Creativity Movement" since at least 2017. Detectives also found a "ministerial certificate", ordaining him into a role with the aim of "spreading the word and recruiting persons to the church", within his property. He was referred to as both "Reverend Costello" and "Pontifex Maximus", or high priest, of the organisation - which was previously known as the World Church of the Creator and was founded in the USA in the 1970s. In June this year a Telegram channel under the name "Rev. James Costello" posted a link to the Creativity Movement website. However, the channel's name was changed on November 12 to "Free James Costello" and the bio said: "This page is not affiliated with James Costello, nor is he responsible for any of its content." A post on the same day, allegedly written by James Logsdon, an American-based member of the Creativity Movement, said the channel was his responsibility. The post said: "To the insufferable anti-white, Marxist media of the UK and anyone else this may concern. I, Rev James Logsdon of Illinois, USA, own and operate this page. "Rev James Costello has NO affiliation, control or access to post on this page. He hasn't since the day before his incarceration and has not been in contact with me since that day. He has sent no directives or messages through anyone else to do so otherwise. He has been in 100% compliance with the ridiculous stipulations imposed on him. To make any other claims, such as those that were made recently are undeniably false!" There is no suggestion that Costello has had any involvement in the page during his time in prison. But the channel still displays posts from 2023 showing a picture of Costello accompanied by messages which appear to be written by him in the first-person. This includes references to the Patriotic Alternative conference and a leafletting campaign in Dingle, neither of which Logsdon had any involvement in. It is currently not known if the Prison and Probation Service is looking into the Telegram activity when considering if Costello is suitable for release. Sentencing Costello in 2023 , the Honorary Recorder of Liverpool Judge Andrew Menary KC said: "The history of the Creativity Movement shows that its fanatics are capable of very serious and deadly violence. Hate crimes like this have a tendency to undermine communities and societies - making people feel like they do not belong, making communities fearful and untrusting of others. "You say that, as a result of these proceedings, you realise that the material on the website was abusive and might cause hurt, something you did not intend and something you regret. Frankly, I doubt that very much. The highly racist and anti-Semitic nature of the material you wanted the world to see and embrace was blindingly obvious."

Health

HMP Styal prisoner serving life sentence for ex-soldier murder dies

A prisoner serving a life sentence for the torture and murder of a former soldier has died in state custody. Lisa Clarke was ordered to serve a minimum of 23 years in prison for her role in the murder of ex-serviceman Brian Farmer, 64, who was found with stab wounds, broken ribs and severe bruising at his Birmingham flat on May 19, 2012. Clarke, 53 and formerly of Sapphire Tower in Aston, Birmingham, died on October 26 this year while a serving inmate at HMP Styal in Wilmslow, Cheshire . The ECHO understands Clarke was admitted to Wythenshawe Hospital in Manchester from the prison a number of days before. The cause of Clarke's death has currently not been confirmed. A coroner officer at Cheshire Coroners' Court requested an inquest to be opened due to the death relating to a person in state custody. An inquest has been fixed for April 27, 2026. The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO), which investigates all deaths in custody, has launched an investigation. The ECHO has approached the PPO for comment. A Prison Service spokesperson said: "HMP Styal prisoner Lisa Clarke died in hospital on Sunday, 26 October. As with all deaths in custody, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will investigate." Clarke and her co-conspirators, Jason Andrews, Peter Knowles and Vaughan Davies, were branded "sadistic" after they brutally tortured the old soldier and left him to die in his flat. Mr Farmer, who had served more than 20 years in the British Army, was stabbed, had boiling water poured over him and was force-fed drugs during his ordeal. Judge William Davis KC said the defendants, who had stayed the night at the victim's home, had initially chopped parts of his hair off and then threw some of his belongings out of the window. But the violence escalated with Andrews using a knife to stab and slash Mr Farmer’s face. The victim was also hit with force to his body, breaking his ribs while an attempt was made to cut off his hand. The judge said: "One or more of you poured boiling water over him for no better purpose than to humiliate and torture him. I take the view that the conduct which you carried out over a period of two hours came very close to sadistic. "All of this to a vulnerable man in his own home when all he had done was invite you in as friends. "This was a cruel and unpleasant way of ending the life of a man who had fallen on hard times, and who, over the years, had done service to his country." Mr Farmer's family said: "The callousness and barbarity of these acts played out in court shocked and sickened us all. No human being deserved to be treated and degraded in this way." A recent HMP Inspectorate of Prisons report earlier this year provided a damning insight into life inside women's facility HMP Styal. Chief inspector Charlie Taylor said: "The vulnerabilities of the women were evidenced everywhere, notably in the amount of mental health need, the four self-inflicted deaths, and near doubling of the amount of self-harm recorded since we last inspected. "Many other safety indicators were similarly concerning. Access to staff was reduced considerably, a fact keenly felt by the women. This was compounded by very little key work support, which limited women’s ability to get their requests or complaints dealt with without resorting to formal systems. "The lack of access to officers was arguably one of the most important issues to address at Styal."