Holocaust denier sentenced

Eveningtimes: Jewish leaders today welcomed the conviction of Holocaust denier David Irving. However, there were concerns his jail sentence in Austria was too harsh a penalty. The British historian is beginning a three-year prison term today after admitting a charge of denying the Holocaust. His lawyer said he would appeal against the sentence. Irving, 67, insisted during his hearing in Vienna he had had a change of heart and now acknowledged the Nazis' Second World War slaughter of six million Jews. He told the jury: "In no way did I deny the killings of millions of people by the Nazis." But the historian arrived at court carrying a copy of one of his most controversial books - Hitler's War, which challenges the extent of the Holocaust. Lord Janner, chairman of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said he was "pleased" at Irving's conviction. He added: "It is the conviction and not the sentence that matters. "It sends a clear message to the world we must not tolerate the denial of the mass murders of the Holocaust." But Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain, director of the Jewish Information and Media Service, questioned whether Irving should have been jailed for the crime. Dr Romain, rabbi of Maidenhead Synagogue in Berkshire, said: "I prefer to treat him with disdain than with imprisonment." Irving was arrested in Austria in November on a warrant issued in 1989 under Austrian laws that make Holocaust denial a crime. The charges stemmed from speeches which Irving delivered that year in Austria. Publication date 21/02/06.......