Man dubbed himself 'holy crusader,' threatened to blow up mosque and said 'death will come to all Muslims,' court told

John Nimmo, 28, from South Shields, is accused of sending the messages to Faith Matters, a non-profit group that focuses on cohesion and countering extremism.

He is charged with sending messages through the group's website, in a section that allows users to report incidents of hate crime.

Lee Poppett, prosecuting, said the emails allegedly contained references to him being a "holy crusader" and said "death will come to all Muslims".

Appearing by video link at Sunderland Magistrates' Court, Nimmo said he was entering no plea at this stage to the four charges.

Chairman of the bench Jan Leech said the court would decline jurisdiction and the case would be sent to Newcastle Crown Court next month.

The patrons of Faith Matters, which was established in 2006, include former Lib Dem MP Sir Simon Hughes and human rights and equality campaigner Peter Tatchell.