Far right party’s deputy leader accused of trying to persuade victim of alleged attack to drop complaint

Jayda Fransen, deputy leader of the far-right group whose posts were retweeted by US president Donald Trump last week, is accused of trying to dissuade the victim of an alleged sexual assault from making an official complaint, the Observer has learned.

The 31-year-old deputy leader of the anti-Muslim group Britain First is said to have tried to persuade the victim not to complain after she alleged she was sexually assaulted by the group’s leader, Paul Golding, in July. The alleged attack occurred after one of the group’s demonstrations in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, when members congregated at a hotel after a rally denouncing child sex abuse.

Former Britain First member Graham Morris, in the hotel that night, says he witnessed Fransen encouraging the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, to stay quiet. Morris said: “Jayda was saying, ‘I can give everything you need, a platform. I’ll do this for you, that for you.’ She was offering her all sorts. I’m thinking this is sick, but [the alleged victim] went along with it. I was there and I saw exactly how it went.” Morris, who says he was dating Fransen at the time, then alleged that the Britain First deputy told the victim that she should go back to the hotel bar where other members of the group were drinking.

He added: “Jayda said: ‘You’re going to have to come back to the bar and let everyone see you with Paul [Golding] so it looks like a misunderstanding. I was disgusted that a woman could try and encourage another woman not to report what happened.”

Fransen did not return the Observer’s calls. Britain First did not comment.

The alleged victim did eventually report Golding to police in early September; Morris, 54, from Leicestershire, revealed that he had also contacted police about the claims he makes about Fransen. Despite Fransen’s tweets being retweeted by Trump, Britain First is described by critics as a modest movement riven with infighting.

Fransen, who has ambitions to lead the party, is awaiting trial for hate speech at a rally in Belfast.

Trump’s retweeting of anti-Muslim videos posted by Fransen prompted a diplomatic spat between the UK and US and resuled inTheresa May rebuking the US president over his sharing of propaganda videos from the far-right group.

On Monday, anti-fascist group Hope not Hate along with multi-faith representatives will be handing in petitions containing more than 24,000 signatures to the US ambassador, expressing disgust with Trump’s actions.