Teesside teenager sentenced over right wing terror offences
A Teesside teenager has been sentenced over extreme right wing terrorism offences
Last updated 16th Jul 2024
A teenager who was reported to counter-terror police after scrawling extreme right wing references on a mock GCSE paper has been spared custody.
The 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named, filled notebooks with racist thoughts, had online chats with white supremacist groups and filmed himself throwing a petrol bomb, a court heard.
On Tuesday he was sentenced to a three-year youth rehabilitation order by a judge who told him he "thoroughly deserved to go to custody" but would be given the chance to serve his sentence in the community.
Leeds Crown Court heard teachers at the boy's school became so concerned over slogans and pictures he scrawled on a mock GCSE paper - including a picture of Auschwitz with word 'lies' - that they eventually called counter-terror police.
When officers arrived at his home in December 2023, his mother told them: "It's about my son, isn't it?" and already had a range of items ready for them to inspect on the dining table of their house in Stockton-on-Tees.
The judge said officers discovered a "shocking catalogue of extreme right wing material" in the house, including a drawing of a gas mask, accompanied by "6MWE" - a reference to the holocaust meaning "six million was not enough".
There were also references to the proscribed organisation, the Atomwaffen Division and a Star of David surrounded by the words "lies".
The court heard one red notebook was full of material that showed an "extreme far-right-wing ideology".
Police also discovered 78 chats the boy had engaged with on the Telegram platform, which included the sharing of videos of well-known terror atrocities.
In one, the defendant had added a soundtrack to a live stream video of the 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks in New Zealand.
The court heard how the police found a video of the teenager wearing a skull mask and throwing a petrol bomb to the floor.
A judge was told this showed the boy's offending "goes beyond that of being a keyboard warrior".
In mitigation, the court heard he was "very vulnerable" and had been groomed after speaking to other people while playing roleplaying games online.
The boy admitted five counts of collecting information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, three counts of disseminating terrorist publications, one offence of criminal damage and one of racially aggravated criminal damage.
The judge, Tom Bayliss KC, said the boy was "highly radicalised" and "must have sought out" material such as footage of the Christchurch mosque attacks.
He told the defendant: "You thoroughly deserve to go to custody, but I'm not going to send you to custody."
As well as the youth rehabilitation order, the boy was made subject to a criminal behaviour order for three years.
Counter Terror Policing North East say,
"As people use the internet more than ever before, CTP North East want to remind people that it is increasingly important to know what to look out for and how to protect our loved ones.
"Exposure to extremist content and groups online can lead them down a dangerous path. The ACT Early website provides information about signs to look out for when someone may be getting drawn into extremism and online security. The site also signposts people to support, who to contact if you are worried about a loved one and what help is out there.
"Research shows that family and friends are best placed to spot the signs that someone might be vulnerable to radicalisation. If you’re concerned someone close might be being targeted, then act early and share your concerns so the person can get the support they need."