Otley peace campaigner Helen John has been banned from entering the United States because of her criminal record.

Ms John, of The Oval, claims she is being branded a terrorist by US officials after being refused a visa to the country.

She hoped to travel to America at the end of April for four months to visit friends, but has been told her application was refused.

Ms John, vice chairman of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), has served prison sentences following her peace work across the country and was most recently imprisoned for her continued protests outside Menwith Hill.

Because the trip was due to be longer than three months, she was obliged to apply for a visa.

She said: "This is tantamount to saying I am a terrorist, simply because I have a criminal record.

"I would understand if I were a rapist or murderer, but all of my actions have been accountable and I have always been prepared to take responsibility for my actions.

"In real terms, if Americans always applied this, the likes of Jesus Christ and Ghandi wouldn't have been allowed into the country."

Ms John is due to visit the American Embassy in London today to give her views on the situation.

She said: "It's not the fact that I can't go for four months, but could go for three, it's that they won't let me in because I protest for the world."

A spokesman at the Embassy in London said: "Every case is individual and there are strict criteria to meet, and if they are not met, the person will not be allowed to travel."

Ms John, who has been to America eight times already, stressed that her visit would have had nothing to do with her responsibilities as a peace protester, and that the visit was purely personal.

She said: "Any member of a peace campaign is not prepared to accept being called a terrorist.

"I campaign so that my grandchildren can live in a terrorist free world, so I am not likely to be a terrorist, and the officials know that."

An American Embassy spokesperson said: "We won't discuss details, but the woman may be able to travel to the US for less than 90 days, the regulation time to apply for a visa.

"Even if she can get to the US, the Immigration and Naturalization Service may stop her if they feel she is unsuitable."