Liverpool student who shared guide on bombs and guns detained

A student who wrote and shared a guide on using bombs, guns and poisons has been detained for 13 years in a young offenders’ institute.

Jacob Graham, now 20, was motivated by a hatred of government and by “ecological concerns”, a jury heard.

The Liverpool student had been found guilty of preparing terrorist acts by providing assistance to others.

He was cleared of planning an attack but convicted of possessing and sharing terrorist material.

On Monday High Court judge Mr Justice Goose told Graham he was a “dangerous young man” who had fantasised about launching a bombing campaign which resulted in “at least 50 deceased”.

Justice Goose, passing sentence at Manchester Crown Court, said Graham had clear “terrorist intention” when he shared detailed guides on building explosives and guns derived from a vast “digital library” of material he had gathered online.

Graham, who wore a grey t-shirt and black spectacles, showed no visible emotion as the sentence was passed, while a woman in the public gallery of the courtroom could be heard sobbing.

The jury heard between May 2022 and May 2023, Graham created and disseminated a document, which contained instructions on building nail-bombs, shotguns, as well as tips on evading police.

That document was addressed to in Graham’s words: “All you misfits, social nobodies, anarchists, terrorist (Future and Present) and anyone who wants to fight for freedom.”

Justice Goose said although the jury had acquitted him of planning a terrorist act, in another document Graham talked about his wish to conduct a bombing campaign.

The letter added he estimated it would take three to five years for his plan to be achieved.
‘Unusually stable’

Justice Goose said Graham had claimed he had a “strange hobby” and his activities were merely “escapism and fantasy”.

However he told him: “There is significant risk to members of the public of serious harm by you committing serious, specified terrorist offences.”

Graham was sentenced to 13 years in a young offenders’ institution, with an extended licence period of five years.

Alistair Richardson, prosecuting, said a psychological report described Graham as of “above average intelligence”, and said he “saw himself as a leader capable of influencing others”.

The report’s author, Dr Harry Wood, also described Graham as “unusually stable” while in custody, and said he came across as “nonchalant and blasé”.

Frida Hussain, KC, defending Graham, said he had been going through a “difficult” time and was very young at the time of the offences.

She told the court there were no “clearly defined ideology or political motivation” in Graham’s case and no specific plans to kill people.

Ms Hussain said Graham had been diagnosed with complex post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), stemming from “violent and distressing incidents he witnessed as a child and young adult”.

Ms Hussain said his mental health was also impacted by the Covid lockdowns.

She said: “All of this offending took place at times when he was isolated within the home within his bedroom.”

Officers from Counter Terrorism Policing North West (CTPNW) raided the house where he lived with his mum and sister, in Norris Green, and arrested Graham on 26 May 2023.

Inside the property officers found a significant quantity of chemicals, which could be used as ingredients in various explosive mixtures, the jury were told.

Det Supt Andy Meeks, of Counter Terrorism Policing North West, told the BBC: “It is of course extremely worrying that people can commit these types of serious offences from the comfort of their own home, from their own bedroom.”

After a five week trial, Graham was convicted of one count of the preparation of terrorist acts by assisting others, four counts of possession of information for terrorist purposes and two of dissemination of a terrorist publication.

Graham was also ordered to keep the police informed of his whereabouts for 30 years as part of the terms of a Serious Crime Prevention Order (SCPO).

BBC News