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A MIDLAND man walked into a church during a Remembrance Sunday service before abusing parishioners and telling them to turn to Islam has been convicted of breaching a restraining order.

Mohamed Dar, 55, covered his face with a scarf and his head with a bandana that had the words “God is Great” in Arabic written on it, a court has heard.

Magistrates heard he then walked into the New Life Church, in Alfreton, Derbyshire, after earlier slow-clapping a Remembrance parade at the town’s cenotaph.

Within minutes he was shouting at the congregation “This is rubbish, turn to Allah” and that Islam “sent boys aged 10 to war”.

Churchgoers were terrified and thought he might be armed, magistrates were told. They described him being dressed “like a suicide bomber”.

Dar said he had gone to the event dressed in that way “to show his respect to all the Muslims who had been slaughtered like pigs in Iraq and Afghanistan”.

But the Alfreton protester was handed an ASBO and restraining order for that incident, as well as harassing a number of his neighbours in April 2014.

Last week he appeared before Chesterfield Magistrates’ Court, charged with breaching the order by threatening other residents.

The court heard Dar plagued neighbour Louise Mountford with references to murdered soldier Lee Rigby and breached his restraining order by loitering outside his home.

He claimed he had not been loitering and had gone outside with the purpose of enjoying a Christmas event. But the court heard that during the festive parade, which included a visiting Santa sleigh, on December 13 last year Dar had started “childishly” slow-clapping the procession.

Louise’s partner Andrew Phillips told the court: “While we were stood and Santa came down the street, Mr Dar’s upstairs light came on and he looked out of his window.

“Seconds later, he appeared on the street with a scarf wrapped around his face and head.

“He stayed outside and he was mimicking clapping, shouting and waving. His hand gestures and the way he was acting were childish.”

Tearful mum-of-two Louise told the court: “The incidents make you feel awful. I’m not bothered about me, it’s my children.”

In evidence, Dar said:”I accept that the views I expressed could be uncomfortable to other people.

“But I cannot get to grips with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and it manifests itself with those words that I said. I went to the memorial dressed as I did to pay my respects to the British soldiers who died in World War Two, not the other wars which I don’t believe in.

“I also wanted to pay my respects to all the Muslims that have been slaughtered like pigs in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

District Judge Davison said he was satisfied Dar was loitering in view of Louise Mountford and her children and had therefore breached his restraining order.

He will be sentenced at Derby Crown Court on June 26 where a judge said he would be considering banning Dar from his town.