By Sheila Mckenzie-
Britain’s youngest ever convicted terrorist, who led a neo-Nazi cell from his grandmother’s house, has been sentenced to a two-year non-custodial rehabilitation order.
Judge Dennis ruled out custody, saying it would undo the work that is already under way to rehabilitate the youth.
The boy identity of the boy now 16, from south-east Cornwall, has been protected by the courts because he was just 13 when he first committed his serious offences by downloading bomb-making instructions. His terrorist offence makes him every parent’s worst nightmare, a curse for any mother to have as a child.
At 14 the hardened terrorist had gathered a stash of terror material and shared far-right ideology including racist, homophobic and anti-semitic views in online chatrooms.
When his home was raided by police in July 2019, he had become the British cell leader of the Feuerkrieg Division, a neo-Nazi group that encouraged members to commit Anders Breivik-style terror attacks and was responsible for vetting and enlisting new members.
One of his five UK recruits, Paul Dunleavy, 17, was jailed last November for five and a half years for preparing for acts of neo-Nazi terrorism. He had also discussed obtaining firearms with his lead terrorist pal. Another recruit, the court heard, was shamefully an undercover police officer.
Police raided the home he shared with his grandmother, on the grounds of information he had been constructing a weapon.
Although no weapon was found, cops seized his phone and laptop were seized, and found a Nazi flag and a copy of a neo-Nazi text. A Nazi slogan had been painted on the garden shed.
A picture emerged of him standing in front of a Nazi flag and giving a Nazi salute.
The defendant, from southeast Cornwall, had pleaded guilty to 10 counts of possessing terrorist material and two of disseminating terror documents.
The boy, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to 12 offences, two of which included the dissemination of terrorist documents and 10 of possession of terrorist material .
Judge Mark Dennis handed him a 24-month youth rehabilitation order by Judge Mark Dennis QC at the Old Bailey.
He sentence was delivered to him by video link from Bodmin magistrates court, where he was supported by his grandmother, who held his hand.
Dennis told him he had “entered an online world of wicked prejudice” and any reoffending would lead to a “spiral of ever lengthening terms of incarceration” to protect the public. However, taking into account the boy’s guilty plea and expressions of remorse, he ruled out custody, saying it would undo the rehabilitation work that was already under way.
He said: “You entered an online world of wicked prejudice and violent bigotry which has no place in a civilised society. You are now 16, coming on 17, years of age and any naivety or immaturity that may have played its part can no longer be put forward as an excuse.
“Any resurfacing of such prejudice or bigotry or engagement in such extremist activity will inevitably lead you in one direction, and that is in a spiral of ever lengthening terms of incarceration in order to protect the public from such conduct. You now have the opportunity to put this behind you and to redirect your future.”
Naomi Parsons, prosecuting, said the defendant’s young age was “alarming” and his conduct “betrays a maturity beyond his chronological age”.
The judge told the boy he had “entered an online world of wicked prejudice” and any reoffending would lead to a “spiral of ever-lengthening terms of incarceration” to protect the public.
The judge added: “The wider picture revealed in this case – the actions, words and mindset of teenagers – is deeply concerning.”
The boy’s offences were committed over a prolonged period and involved the use of technology to conceal identity, the court heard.
However, the judge took account of his guilty plea, expression of remorse and that he was “susceptible to the influence others”.
One of his five recruits was teenager Paul Dunleavy, who was convicted of terrorism offences relating to his activities as a member of FKD in 2019 and with whom he discussed the acquisition of firearms, the court was told.
The court heard that another of the recruits was in fact an undercover officer.
The defendant also commissioned a “Nuke London” poster which bore an image of an atom bomb cloud explosion over the Houses of Parliament with the slogan “Sterilise the cesspit that you call London”.
Police raided the defendant’s home on July 23 2019 as a result of information which suggested he had been trying to construct a weapon.
No weapons were found, but his mobile phone and computer were seized.
During the search, officers found a Nazi flag and a copy of a neo-Nazi text depicting post-apocalyptic sadistic violence.
The numerals “1488” – a Nazi symbol – had also been painted on the garden shed.
In a police interview, the defendant, now 16, denied having had any racist, homophobic or anti-Semitic views, and said his comments and posts were just “to look cool”.
He claimed he had been considering leaving FKD for about a month, which was rejected by the prosecution.
Prosecutor Naomi Parsons had said the defendant’s young age was “alarming” and his conduct “betrays a maturity beyond his chronological age”.
In mitigation, Deni Matthews said the youth was “damaged” and had “sought approval by expressing views he certainly does not ascribe to now and was unlikely to have ascribed to genuinely at the time”.
In November last year, Dunleavy, 17, from Rugby, Warwickshire, was locked up for five-and-a-half years for preparing for acts of neo-Nazi terrorism.
Jenny Hopkins, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “People will rightly be disturbed that a 13-year-old should hold the most appalling neo-Nazi beliefs and start collecting manuals on bomb-making and firearms.
“He claimed not to have racist views and just wanted to appear ‘cool’, but the body of evidence led to him pleading guilty to possession and dissemination of terrorist material.”