A MAN was held in custody yesterday afternoon on a charge of racially aggravated public order.

The court appearance followed an incident at the new Wrexham Muslim Association mosque.

Father-of-four David Jared Evans, 36, was arrested over alleged racist comments and threats made to two people who were leaving the mosque at the former Miners’ Institute in Grosvenor Road, Wrexham, on Monday evening.

Evans, of High Street, Rhos, is charged with using threatening, abusive and insulting language and behaviour towards Abdulla Anwar which were racially aggravated.

Robert Blakemore, prosecuting, outlined the allegations at Flintshire Magistrates’ Court and said the case should be dealt with in the crown court.

Magistrates agreed and Evans said in any event he wished to elect crown court trial.

Mr Blakemore applied for a remand in custody.

The court heard that social networking sites were advertising a demonstration on Saturday against the use of the former Miners’ Institute as a mosque.

Mr Blakemore said after reading texts on Evans’ mobile phone between himself and the English Defence League he would apply for a remand in custody.

Euros Jones, defending, applied for bail and said conditions not to enter Grosvenor Road and not to attend any demonstrations would be appropriate.

Mr Jones said he was concerned that his client was being portrayed as some sort of ringleader for a demonstration that was planned for the weekend when that was simply not the case.

He said his client was a member of various Facebook sites and phone entries were simply those posted on the walls of Facebook sites to thousands of members.

The Mold-based magistrates remanded Evans in custody for a week pending committal proceedings to the crown court.