British National Party leader Nick Griffin today told a Court that he believed Islam was a "wicked vicious faith".

Nick Griffin, 46, denied using threatening, abusive, or insulting words intended to stir up racial hatred in a series of speeches he made in 2004.

Griffin is on trial alongside BNP activist Mark Collett, 25, in relation to speeches they both made in West Yorkshire which were recorded by an undercover BBC reporter.

Party leader Griffin told the jury that he genuinely believed Islam was a "wicked vicious faith" but he said this was not a criticism of Muslim people.

The jury at Leeds Crown Court heard Griffin made a speech at Shelf Village Hall in Halifax on April 4, 2004 - to which none of the charges relate - in which he said an elderly Asian man had been the subject of a "wicked attack" in a London subway and that whoever carried it out should be hung.

Griffin said the large crowd at the meeting had broken out into an "immediate, spontaneous and generous burst of applause", and after being shown the video in a police interview, Griffin told the officers: "There's no hatred in this audience and there's no hate from me."

Griffin told the jury the BNP had a policy of answering no comment in police interviews so that none of its members' words could be "twisted".

But he told the jury: "This was a spontaneous outburst from me."

Pointing to his heart, he said: "That's how it came out from me, right from here."

The court heard that in the early months of 2004 Griffin was making about 12 speeches each month to invited audiences as part of his General Election campaign.

Referring to a speech he made in Keighley on January 19 2004, Griffin said he wanted to tackle the issue of the "grooming" of white girls by Muslim men.

Shortly before the trial was adjourned for lunch, Griffin told the Recorder of Leeds, Norman Jones QC, that if he was talking too fast and could not see the judge indicating him to slow down it was because he had a glass eye on his left and could not see the bench when addressing barristers.

The judge said: "Don't worry Mr Griffin. I will stop you if I need to catch up."

Griffin, of Llanerfyl, Powys, Wales, denies two charges of using words or behaviour intended to stir up racial hatred and two alternative charges of using words or behaviour likely to stir up racial hatred.

Collett, of Swithland Lane, Rothley, Leicestershire, denies four charges of the first offence and four of the latter.

The trial continues.