Soldier, 28, who dressed in an SS uniform cleared of offence

Soldier, 28, who went out dressed in an SS uniform and performed a Hitler salute after watching a documentary on Nazis and drinking with his friends is cleared of a public order offence

Andrew Humphreys was seen wearing the black SS uniform on Potteries Way
The 28-year-old had been drinking at party with his housemates earlier that day
At 10.30pm he was seen performing a Nazi Salute by a member of the public

An ex-soldier who dressed up as a Nazi and performed a Hitler salute after watching a documentary has been acquitted of a public order offence.

Andrew Humphreys was seen wearing the black SS uniform – that included a hat, boots and swastikas on an arm band and pin badge – on Potteries Way and Quadrant Road on the evening of October 17.

The 28-year-old, who previously served in the British Army, had been drinking at a party with his housemates earlier that day when they decided to watch a documentary on Nazi Germany.

During the police interview Humphreys said he only went out in the uniform after becoming angered by the Nazis’ atrocities and he wanted to make people laugh at the ‘symbolism’ of his uniform and in doing so ‘take the power away from what it represents’

After watching the documentary Humphreys decided to put on the uniform that had been left to him by his late father, who was a collector of World War Two memorabilia.

Magistrates at North Staffordshire Justice Centre heard he then walked to Hanley with the intention of going to the pub.

At around 10.30pm he was seen crossing the road on Potteries Way performing a Nazi Salute by a member of the public who called the police.

He was then cornered by a group of youths who laughed, took photos of him and removed his armband and hat on Quadrant Road before officers arrived.

Prosecutor Ian Shaw said: ‘He was seen to walk through the town and a witness saw him put his arm out in a Nazi salute.

‘The uniform did have an arm band with a swastika symbol and the witness contacted the police because of concern for Mr Humphreys as he felt someone dressed in that way was a potentially at risk of attack from other people.

‘Mr Humphreys made his way a little further on and was then confronted by a number of youths and some security staff as well. He was detained until police arrived.

‘When police arrived he was arrested.’

Giving evidence at the trial yesterday, Humphreys said: ‘I was at home in the living room of my house share.

‘We had a get together at the house. I consumed alcohol. Me and my other housemate were talking about various different things, I showed him the costume and we watched a bit of a documentary in regards to Germany and the atrocities they committed.

‘We came to the conclusion that what they did was awful, it was atrocious and should not be repeated.

‘My friend is an intelligent guy and we had conversations back and forth. We discussed that it was a shame that the level of education in this country is not to the standard we would wish it to be. People are forgetting about the past.

Magistrates at North Staffordshire Justice Centre heard he then walked to Hanley with the intention of going to the pub

‘My father passed away but he was a very big World War Two enthusiast and collected various things. When he passed away a lot of that was handed to myself and I tried to sell quite a few things that I didn’t have a need for. I had tried to sell the uniform.

‘I’m a big fan of British comedy such as Charlie Chaplin and Basil Fawlty. I was under the assumption that if I was to dress like that I could bring humour and make a mockery of the costume in public.

‘If people asked why I was wearing it I could just say simply to make a mockery of the costume. My main intention was to make a mockery of myself and the costume as well.

‘A lot of people aren’t really educated as to what happened in the past and I thought if I could make it humorous and teach people about things whilst making them laugh it would help teach them and they could have a laugh at the same time.’

The court heard Humphreys works full time and had previously lived in South Korea, where he met his wife.

They both moved back to the UK in 2017, but his wife was forced to leave the country in 2018 after being unable to obtain a visa.

When asking the magistrates to acquit Humphreys, James Hulse, mitigating, said: ‘It is my submission that wearing a Nazi uniform isn’t threatening or abusive.

‘It would give difficulty for teachers showing it in school or in World War 2 re-enactments in theatre, the cinema or in public.

‘He was not wearing it outside a synagogue or an area where gypsies may live. We hear the football chants from Arsenal fans to Tottenham fans and there is none of that here.

‘The mere wearing of uniform isn’t threatening or abusive. It can be dependent on the circumstances, but there is no evidence of those circumstances here.’

Magistrates found Humphreys, of Charles Street, Cheadle, not guilty of a section 5 public order offence after finding he had no intention to cause alarm or distress and he was not aware that his actions would cause alarm or distress.

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