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| John Howland |
One of the culprits is a man from Poole in Dorset, John Howland (right). Mr Howland seems to me to have ASPD with an enormous chip on his shoulder and has been the most persistent troll of this blog, spending a large part of his life stalking Nigel and myself, trolling our writings, engaged in a one-man vendetta, apparently aiming to drive us off the internet through trying to make it an uncomfortable place to present our opinions.
Like 99% of metal detectorists in the UK, John Howland will not try to engage with the points made, presenting substantiated counter-arguments, but merely tries to undermine us. He'll attack our "credentials" (for having an opinion), our "morals" (for having an opinion), he'll call us names (a usual puerile tekkie tactic - among other things, I'm "Warsaw Wally", Nigel is labelled "Heritage Harry"), he constantly makes us the butt of his ribald jokes (often lifted from compilations on the internet without acknowledgement of source). Sometimes he ropes in the help of sidekicks from the States (the equally vindictive Dick Stout in particular), most of whom have never read a word I have written.
Like 99% of metal detectorists in the UK, John Howland will not try to engage with the points made, presenting substantiated counter-arguments, but merely tries to undermine us. He'll attack our "credentials" (for having an opinion), our "morals" (for having an opinion), he'll call us names (a usual puerile tekkie tactic - among other things, I'm "Warsaw Wally", Nigel is labelled "Heritage Harry"), he constantly makes us the butt of his ribald jokes (often lifted from compilations on the internet without acknowledgement of source). Sometimes he ropes in the help of sidekicks from the States (the equally vindictive Dick Stout in particular), most of whom have never read a word I have written.
John Howland has been doing this now for over ten years, since October 2010 at least, and since then, there have been long periods when barely a week has gone by without his trying something. Since December 2017, he's had a "Detecting and Collecting" wordpress blog. If you search it you'll find that the picture of metal detecting this ambassador to the hobby wishes to present is little more than a series of texts (containing slander, allegations, ridicule, crudity, attacks and downright lies) on the person of just two writers, myself and Nigel Swift.
Nigel Swift has catalogued just a small part of John Howland's activities 'Heritage Action threatened on two continents' (Heritage Journal 22/11/2012)* Take a look at the sample of the language used. You can see here the evidence that already eight years ago this metal detectorist has shown himself to be a deeply-troubled and reckless individual - and one sees his propensity for stalking his victims and then attempting to compromise their sense of security and their physical safety by widely disseminating personal details about them. So in various forms, among the stuff he's posted online to harass me include the details of two of our home addresses in Poland, the details (address and phone number) of a former employer here, my national security number and a few other details.
Mr Howland seems not to be sufficiently satisfied by the effects of his previous activities. So a few days ago, among the other nonsenses that he's been harassing me with, he sent a comment to my blog that I did not read very thoroughly before rejecting and deleting it, but I noted it contained the name of the small village I'd spent my teen years in. Obviously he'd not grown out of his obsession with stalking me. Then on Monday (21st December), another comment sent to the same post:
From: John H [mailto:noreply-comment@blogger.com]
Sent: Monday, December 21, 2020 7:55 PM
John H has left a new comment on your post "Irresponsible Movement Between Tiers in UK - Metal...":
You really do spout bullshit. [full address of parents' home] will I hope, be safe... but as for you, well you might find someone who gives a fuck...
Publish Delete Mark as spam
Moderate comments for this blog.
There is a total non-sequitur between the two halves of that sentence. 'Giving a fuck' is not an opposite to 'being safe'. John Howland has upped the ante from his previous "we know where you live, and hope you will be safe" to "we know where your parents live, and hope they will be safe". My dad is 90, my mother 87 and have been isolating since the beginning of March.
I am not going to comment. The reader can draw their own conclusions. Mr Howland and those aiding and abetting him have this time gone too far. UK police have been informed, and are awaiting a report from the Polish prosecutors.
John Howland, Freemasons, "John Howland", naked aggression, threatening behaviour, ASPD, Brexit.
* There is a significant reason connected with my work with illicit
antiquities why at that time I was concerned to keep my picture off the
internet, and still am.
John Howland, Freemasons, "John Howland", "Dick Stout", "Fay Stout", "Stout Standards", naked aggression, "metal detecting", "artefact collecting", abuse, threatening behaviour, ASPD, Brexit.
Paul, to say I'm outraged by his behaviour hardly covers it.
ReplyDeleteIt's so sad because coincidentally someone I know has suffered similar behaviour in North Yorkshire and today - Christmas morning of all times - she has been visited by both the police AND the fire brigade and at this very moment they are fitting new locks, fire alarms and a panic button to her house and have set up an alternative address for her to move into if necessary. Someone is in custody awaiting court proceedings. I don't know if their threats were direct or of the Howland variety but clearly the police recognise threats however they're issued.
I hope your parents live in an area where the authorities are as efficient as in North Yorkshire. I also hope detectorists in general will get to hear about this and express their views forcibly. I also see that the Heritage Journal contains this statement: "I have asked Dr Bland of the PAS to condemn the threat 4 times but he has failed to do so. The fact the police have taken it seriously but PAS still refuses to says it all." Michael Lewis ought to do better. What if it was his family?
Please keep safe. I know these morons have several like-minded colleagues in both the UK and Poland who read Howland's blog so I hope your local police are fully aware too.
This sort of thing seems to be a plague in the Degenerate West. Mr Howland has presumably looked up the addresses he's posted on GE, so he'll have seen the security fence and guardhouse of the place I am at the moment. What is the matter with the British?
ReplyDeleteJust some of the British Paul.
ReplyDeleteThis morning a detectorist has written: "Now that Barfart has published John Howland's picture there's no reason on earth why we shouldn't do the same to him and Swift together with their personal details. Fair's fair".
Of course, it's not true because Howland and his family aren't at risk from an unknown number of thuggish conservationists.
Just a few words echoing Brian M's support.
ReplyDeleteWhat does Howland really expect to achieve by this? That's other than illustrating he's a narcissistic blowhard who threatens vulnerable people?
Bland and chums at PAS really need to wake up to what's really going on within detecting. Far from being the salt of the earth, personalities such as this, with criminal tendencies, are rife within detector owners/users.
You wonder what they would do if denied access to land that 'their' research suggests contain a mother lode of heritage?
Let's hope the boys in blue take action beyond a stern talking to and the 'Big man' Howland ends up with the conviction he deserves.
I challenge you to publish your lies when you are next in England. This challenge is going to be published on my blog.Publish a retraction and I'll consider a more lenient course of action.
ReplyDeleteOh, is that a threat Mr Howland?
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing in my post that is a "lie", is there?