A 16-year-old boy who joined banned far-right extremists and researched a synagogue has been jailed for three-and-a-half years for a series of terror offences.
The teenager, who cannot be named because of his age, was found guilty last month of possession of terrorist documents, dissemination of terrorist documents and membership of a proscribed terrorist organisation.
But the jury at Leeds Crown Court failed to reach a verdict on whether he was planning a terror attack. The Crown Prosecution Service said in court it would not seek a retrial on this charge.
In February last year, the then 15-year-old boy was arrested at his father’s home in a village in Northumberland, where police found several journal entries about pupils at his school.
He wrote “I swear to God I just hate my f***ing school” and “I want to do horrible things to the people in my school. Some of them should be shot”, the court heard.
On the same page, the boy ranked mass murderers, with the neo-Nazi terrorist Anders Breivik topping his list.
Officers also found a “to-do list” of weapons and explosives after the arrest, and that the boy’s bedroom was adorned with white supremacist flags and a Nazi SS officer’s hat.
Jurors were told the boy had joined far-right groups on Telegram as early as 2023, and had researched a Newcastle synagogue, electrical substations and mobile phone towers.
Handing down the sentence, Mr Justice Wall, who refused an application to lift the teenager’s anonymity, told him: “I hope that you now realise how seriously any involvement with terrorist organisations is treated.
“You expressed hatred for groups which are the habitual target of right-wing extremists such as the Jewish community. You did so in graphic and disturbing terms.
“You said at trial that you never genuinely held such beliefs. I have no doubt you were lying about that.”
The court heard during the trial that the teenager’s activity escalated after he messaged a group called The Base – a proscribed terror group which encourages followers to carry out acts of violence to ignite a race war – on Telegram in August 2024.
In February last year, a Russian user, who was claiming to be the leader of The Base, was urging the youth to take action, saying “we’re willing to help you”.
The Russian user also told him in a separate message: “Brother, do not have doubts. You are doing a benefit, a good deed for your community…
“You are a warrior, brother, and we are very proud of you. We will help you with everything you need because you are a part of us, of the brotherhood.”
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Frida Hussain KC, defending, told the sentencing hearing that the youth had been “groomed” online and his father had “reflected on the supervision he should have provided and will provide in the future.”
Detective Chief Superintendent James Dunkerley, the head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East, warned parents: “This case provides a stark reminder around the dangers of extreme content online and how individuals can be drawn into serious offending.
“All too often we see the real-world implications of individuals who have been influenced by such material or even motivated to plan or take part in terrorist activity.”
