Far-right extremist from Walsall sentenced for terrorism offences
Vaughn Dolphin from Aldridge blew up his own kitchen experimenting with explosives
A far-right extremist from Walsall has been sentenced to 8 and a half years in a young offenders institution, plus another year on licence for terrorism offences, after blowing up his own kitchen experimenting with explosives.
Vaughn Dolphin from Walsall Wood Road in Aldridge had also built a crude but "viable" gun in his garden shed.
The 20-year-old was an avid poster on extremist chat messaging groups, bragging about his exploits to others.
In a series of selfie videos, he also shared the aftermath of his bungling and highly risky actions from his house - footage which helped incriminate him.
He also said minorities "should be shot."
When arrested, on June 27 2022, the defendant told police: "I'm not a terrorist, okay?"
However, at his home, officers uncovered a treasure trove of how-to guides on how to build a shotgun and homemade plastic explosives, and how to conduct arson attacks.
Following a trial, Dolphin was convicted of two charges of possessing explosives, six counts of having documents likely to be of use to terrorists, and two charges of disseminating a terrorist publication.
He was further convicted of unlawful possession of a firearm - the crude musket barrel.
Detective Chief Superintendent Mark Payne, head of Counter Terrorism Policing West Midlands CTU, said: “Dolphin had claimed he had an interest in chemicals and military memorabilia however he combined a toxic extremist mindset, sharing right wing material online with the real-world acquisition of explosive material and homemade weapons.
“His mindset is one of a dangerous individual equipping themselves to harm others who did not look like him or who he disagreed with.
“Extremists use this kind of ideology to create discord, distrust and fear among our communities, our work to target dangerous individuals continues.”