Timothy Miller, 76, claimed he had a religious exemption to wear the garment

A 76-year-old man appeared in court wearing a burka to deny a charge of wearing the Islamic religious garment to conceal his identity during an anti-migrant protest in Portsmouth.

Timothy Miller, 76, of Sherwood Avenue in Hedge End, was asked to lift up the veil covering his face by District Judge Apted to confirm his identity and held a black handbag throughout the hearing.

Mr Miller had no representation in the court, although said he was crowdfunding to be represented at trial by the London law firm Joseph Hill & Co.

When asked how he pleaded to the charge of using a burka to conceal his identity at the protest in Guildhall Square, Miller replied: “As I am in every police camera, I am not guilty.”

In his own defence, Miller said: “The issue quite simply is we should be all living under one law of which I think everybody is under agreement.”

Timothy Miller, 76, at Portsmouth Magistrates Court to face charges of wearing or using an item to conceal his identity at an anti-immigration protest in Portsmouth city centre on Saturday September 12. | Andrew Matthews/the Press Association

He said that he had an “exemption” for “Islamic” religious observance and added “which I am entitled to, therefore it was an exemption for which I told the police”.

When asked by the judge whether he adhered to the Muslim faith, Miller said: “I do not feel I should answer these questions because nobody else is asked these questions,” however he later clarified that he was “studying Islam as it seems to be the most beneficial religion to be noticed in this climate today.”

He said that he continued to wear the burka to get a “greater understanding” from “this side of the veil” and added: “It’s part of my inquiring mind of changing from one religion to another”.

Miller told the court that he had lived in “Muslim countries” before, including Morocco, Bahrain and Dubai, and added: “What I say is happening here is the movement generally by law and everything that we are moving towards an Islamic society, therefore it is more beneficial to me to have a full understanding and belief, that’s what I am doing.

Timothy Miller, 76, outside Portsmouth Magistrates Court | Andrew Matthews/the Press Association

“I think we are going down a very dangerous path questioning people about their religion, I think at the moment Jews are under the same pressure.”

Miller said that he felt his arrest was not lawful “because I complied with everything, I was in every single camera including the drones overhead, I presented myself to the cameras.

“I was never once asked to remove my face covering.”

He was granted unconditional bail until his trial begins on February 16 at Portsmouth Magistrates Court. Miller had requested the trial to take place at Portsmouth Crown Court, but this was denied by Mr Apted due to the nature of the charge.

Mr Apted said that Miller’s defence representatives must produce a report confirming the defendant’s case that “a male person who is considering moving to Islam can wear a burka in public in order to better understand the religion and enable that person to make an informed decision about observing that religion”.

Outside the courtroom, his supporters explained that they wanted to trial to be heard at Crown Court so that it could be heard in front of a jury.