There have been a number of threads which highlight the differences between American concepts of 'free speech' and British legislation which limits 'incitement to hatred' on the grounds of race or sexual orientation.

In a landmark case two Britons have become the first in the UK to be convicted of inciting racial hatred online, having printed leaflets and controlled websites featuring racist material.

Although their vitriol was variously directed at black, Asian and other non-white people, most of the material shown to the jury was virulently anti-Semitic.

What makes this paricularly relevant to the differences in UK and US legislation however is that the defence argued that the online material did not fall under the jurisdiction of UK law, because Sheppard's site was hosted on servers in California.

In a landmark ruling, the judge dismissed this - potentially paving the way for further prosecutions against the owners of other hate sites who believe they are exploiting a legal loophole.

Before the jury in the first trial could return verdicts, both men fled to Los Angeles International airport and attempted to claim political asylum.

The irony of two racists attempting to exploit the immigration and asylum system was lost on no-one who followed the case!

Full report BBC news