16 year old from Leeds pleads guilty to terrorism offences
The defendant has been sentenced to a 12 month Referral Order for each offence concurrent
A 16 year old from Leeds has pleaded guilty to terrorism offences after a member of the public reported their concerns over social media posts.
The defendant has been sentenced to a 12 month Referral Order for each offence concurrent.
He's been ordered to pay costs and handed a Criminal Behaviour Order that will last until the day before his 18th birthday.
The Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit were alerted to an account that was suspected of sharing extreme right wing content.
Following investigations into the account, Counter Terrorism Policing North East arrested a teenager from Leeds in May 2021. He was further arrested in July.
The 16 year old appeared at Westminster Youth Court on February 17, 2022, where he was charged with one offence of disseminating a terrorist publication, and one offence of possessing terrorist material.
He pleaded guilty to both offences during that hearing.
Detective Chief Superintendent Martin Snowden is Head of CTP North East, he's urging the public to continue to bring worrying material to the attention of police.
“We are immensely grateful that this was reported to police.
“We would always encourage members of the public to report material of concern so it can be removed and appropriate action taken.
“We have seen before how online extremism can fuel hate and influence others, and that is true of this case.
“Through reports such as these, the work of the CTIRU and the support of online service providers, we can silence those wanting to spread hatred and protect others from the harm that takes place on online platforms.”