U.S. martial arts expert banned from entering Britain over fears his 'kill or be killed' teachings could incite vigilante violence

By Keith Gladdis for the Daily Mail and Tom Leonard

Published: 07:09 EST, 9 May 2012 | Updated: 08:57 EST, 10 May 2012


Banned: Tim Larkin is not welcome in Britain because of his self-defence teachings

Banned: Tim Larkin is not welcome in Britain because of his self-defence teachings

An American martial arts expert who teaches how to inflict ‘crippling pain’ on attackers has been banned from entering the UK.

Home Secretary Theresa May refused to allow Tim Larkin into the country amid fears his ‘kill or be killed’ philosophy could encourage vigilante violence.

The former military intelligence officer and expert in hand-to-hand combat had been planning a tour of areas that had been hit hardest during last year’s riots.

He was due to teach classes in the London area of Tottenham, where the violence started, and appear at the Martial Arts Show in Birmingham.

But when Mr Larkin, 47, tried to board a flight in Las Vegas, he was handed a letter from the UK Border Agency saying he had been excluded from Britain.

Despite having visited Britain three years ago, Mr Larkin was told his presence in the UK was now not ‘conducive to the public good’.

He joins Moonie cult leader Sun Myung Moon, Nation of Islam minister Louis Farrakhan and American white supremacist Dennis Mahon in being denied access to Britain.

Mr Larkin, who says he has trained corporate and civilian clients in New York, Las Vegas and London, claimed the exclusion was a ‘gross over-reaction’.

He said: ‘It says there’s no right of appeal. I have a lot of support over in the UK. I have people I can go to. There are Members of Parliament I’m sure I can go to, and maybe this can be reconsidered.

‘I think it’s a gross over-reaction, especially with some of the people who are allowed to come in and  out of the UK.

‘There is nothing outrageous about it, there’s nothing that I’m going around to incite violence or to incite vigilantism – that’s a characterisation of the people who hear my opinions on self-defence.’

Banned: Tim Larkin is not welcome in Britain because of his self-defence teachings
Banned: Tim Larkin is not welcome in Britain because of his self-defence teachings

Plans: Tim Larkin, pictured here in a lesson, wanted to hold a series of seminars in riot hit areas of Britain

HOW TO BREAK AN ATTACKER'S SPINE WITH 'DEADLY FORCE'

Tim Larkin claims his controversial  techniques have been adopted by US special forces including the elite Navy Seals unit that killed Osama bin Laden.

His book, How to Survive: The Most Critical Five Seconds of Your Life, describes how to inflict ‘crippling pain’ on an attacker.

Chapters such as Violence is About Injury, Why you Must Learn to Kill and Kill it Simple, Stupid emphasise the need to use ‘deadly force’.

His Target Focus Training website carries videos of instructors teaching students how to break the spine and elbow of an attacker.

Students are also taught to punch an attacker so hard that a rib will break into the internal organs and hit the spine.

Larkin also reveals a technique that involves kicking an attacker hard enough to disable him by rupturing his testicles.

Help: Tim Larkin said he could inspire children and adults in areas of Britain hit by rioting last summer

Help: Tim Larkin said he could inspire children and adults in areas of Britain hit by rioting last summer

The power of a Home Secretary to ban individuals from the UK  has caused controversy, with critics saying it has not been used consistently.

American radio host Michael Savage threatened to sue former Home Secretary Jacqui Smith when his name was included in a list of people not welcome in the UK.

BANNED FROM BRITAIN:

Various criminals, celebrities, sports stars and religious extremists have in the past been banned from entering Britain. Here are a few:

* American rapper Snoop Dogg was barred from entering the UK in March 2007 by the then Home Office minister John Reid after his involvement in a mass brawl at Heathrow.

* In the early years of the Cold War, Childen poet Pablo Neruda, singer Paul Robeson and composer Dimitry Shostakovich were refused entry for a peace conference in 1950.

* Moonie cult leader Sun Myung Moon, Nation of Islam minister Louis Farrakhan, American white supremacist Dennis Mahon have all been denied access.

* Osama bin Laden's son Omar was banned from entering Britain to live with his new wife in 2008 because of fears his presence might cause 'public concern'.

Muslim cleric Sheikh Yusuf  al-Qaradawi, who had defended suicide attacks, was refused a visa but only after being a guest at City Hall of former London mayor Ken Livingstone.

Islamic preacher Zakir Naik who claimed ‘every Muslim should be a terrorist’ was banned from Britain but still addressed the Oxford Union via a video link.

And Jamaican reggae singer Bounty Killer (real name Rodney Pryce) was allowed to perform in the UK despite using lyrics which encourage the murder of homosexuals and promote gang culture.

A Home Office spokesman said: ‘We can confirm that the individual in question is subject to an exclusion order. The Home Secretary will seek to exclude an individual if she considers that his or her presence in the UK is not conducive to the public good.’

West Lancashire MP Rosie Cooper had warned the Government about Mr Larkin’s visit.

She said: ‘I’m grateful to the Home Secretary for taking the appropriate action and not allowing this man into our country. He teaches extreme and violent self defence that is unwelcome here.

‘The decision to bar Mr Larkin from the UK demonstrates the value of constant alertness when it comes to border controls.’

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