An anti-drag campaigner who was part of a protest outside North Walsham Library against a Drag Queen Story Time has been convicted of hate crimes.

Christopher Mitchell, a welder who lives in Caister-on-Sea, has been sentenced to a 12-month community order.

He is required to carry out 20 rehabilitation days and 150 hours of unpaid work, and has been ordered to pay a fine of £1,500, Eastern Daily Press reported.

The conviction follows the 33-year-old taking part in a protest in August 2022 alongside other anti-drag activists, which saw North Walsham Library’s story time event by drag queen ‘Auntie’ Titania Trust cancelled.

Appearing at Great Yarmouth Magistrates Court on 12 April, Mitchell, who represented himself, denied sending threats, but had earlier pleaded guilty to two charges of sending malicious communications.

The court heard that Mitchell revealed the real name of the drag artist, Joseph Ballard, in social media posts in which he accused him of “grooming children” – an age-old right-wing slur that is backed up by zero evidence.

Crown prosecutor Emma Pocknell shared that in a Facebook post, Mitchell had written that parents whose children were to attend the event at North Walsham Library “clearly have serious issues and should have their devices checked”.

Further evidence shared in court showed he had uploaded a YouTube video that included derogatory comments about Ballard.
Drag queen left ‘paranoid and fearful’ by anti-drag protest

Emma Pocknell noted that the posts had a “profound effect” on Joseph Ballard and were aggravated due to being considered hate crimes.

Following the protest, Pocknell shared that Ballard had been left paranoid and fearful of being targeted and required additional security when appearing in a later pantomime.

“I genuinely feared for my life and safety and others around me,” said Ballard, who claimed £9,000 compensation, including £6,000 for loss of earnings and £2,000 for extra security measures.

Titania Trust is a songstress and cabaret entertainer who has been performing for more than 10 years, according to her website.

‘Bigotry and hate is on the rise’

Joseph Ballard told PinkNews that when performing as Titania Trust, his story time is called ‘Storytime with Auntie Titania’, but clarified it isn’t part of the Drag Queen Story Hour franchise.

“It appears that bigotry and hate is on the rise,” he said.

“We have seen it with a rise in attacks upon the LGBTQ+ community and increasing transphobia in the media and politicians.

“I was targeted and used for the far-right self-claiming Nazis to forward their agenda of division and hate. They are targeting other drag artists who do similar things too.”

Ballard added: “We must stop them and do the right thing at every opportunity. We must speak out, be heard and show the goodness in the world.”

Ballard shared that has been “humbled” by the “love and support” he has received since last summer, adding that he was able to produce his own family pantomime at Christmas, which was his “first big appearance since everything”.

“The events of last summer haven’t stopped for any of us – but it’s not just at a library.

“Abuse is online and elsewhere too. I’m glad that some justice has come from this but there is so much more to do when it comes to changing attitudes and educating people.”
Anti-drag attacks surged in 2022

Drag Queen Story Hour, also known as Drag Queen Story Time, sees local drag queens visit schools and libraries to read to children, promoting inclusion and acceptance of the diversity in the world.

However, the far-right have consistently targeted the educational sessions, claiming they are “grooming children”.

In December 2022, a bar in Seattle was hit by gunfire ahead of a scheduled protest against the venue’s Drag Queen Story Hour and bingo night.

In the same month, LGBTQ+ advocacy group GLAAD reported that there had been a horrifying 142 attacks on drag shows in the US in 2022, following repressive bills seeking to ban or restrict drag performances being proposed across seven US states.

Sadly, attacks on the drag community have continued in 2023. In March, a church in Ohio was firebombed with a Molotov cocktail ahead of its planned drag event.
‘The event became about something more than story time’

In the UK, drag artist Miss Peaches shared a “heartbreaking” statement after her story time event was cancelled due to threats of violence.

In December 2022, Miss Peaches said: “I chose to cancel because the event became about something more than a story time. It was overshadowed by a transphobic, queerphobic, bigoted hate campaign.

“I didn’t want children being faced with a mob of people holding signs. Kids being faced with a drag queen on one hand and an angry mob on the other.”

Pink News

William Lloyd-Hughes posted images of masked men clutching guns in front of Ulster Defence Association flags.

A former police detention officer who posted “racist content” and images showing apparent support of gun-wielding members of a Northern Ireland paramilitary group has been given a community order.

William Lloyd-Hughes, 27, from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, was handed an 18-month community order with two requirements at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London on Wednesday.

He previously pleaded guilty at the same court to publishing an image of two flags on September 11 2022 “in such a way or in such circumstances as to arouse reasonable suspicion” that he was a “member or supporter” of the banned loyalist Ulster Defence Association (UDA) terror group.

On Wednesday, prosecutor Gillian Curl said the image in question was a montage of four photographs, published as a tweet, depicting people in black balaclavas and military-style clothing brandishing firearms.

In two of the photos, the gunmen are posing in front of UDA flags and the montage was captioned “On God’s land where the PRODS stand”, Ms Curl added.

“Prods” is a term for a Protestant sometimes used in Northern Ireland, which in this context appeared to imply support for the proscribed paramilitary group, the court heard.

Lloyd-Hughes, who was based at Huddersfield Police Station as a civilian member of staff, also previously pleaded guilty to a charge under the Communications Act 2003 of sharing grossly offensive messages on Twitter on August 27 2022.

These “very offensive” tweets were “racist in their content and tone”, Ms Curl said.

The full details of the offence was not read out in court but the judge described the posts as “abhorrent” and “racist”.

Ms Curl added: “To Mr Lloyd-Hughes’ credit, he made a prepared statement when he was arrested and interviewed in which he immediately expressed remorse.”

Lloyd-Hughes, of Crosland Moor, told police he had limited knowledge of the history of sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland and did not intend to post something that supported a banned terrorist organisation.

Lloyd Hughes, who was wearing a light blue shirt and dark tie and trousers, also told officers in December that the racist Twitter posts did not reflect his actual views, court documents show.

He “has an interest in the military” but did not realise they were UDA flags were when he posted the image, the court heard.

Lloyd-Hughes, who is degree-educated, was employed by West Yorkshire Police as a detention officer from February 2022 until he resigned in February this year after the criminal probe and an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) watchdog were launched.

The defendant, who is of previous good character, is now working in a kitchen at a local restaurant, the court heard.

Passing a concurrent community order sentence for the two offences, Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring also imposed a 40-day rehabilitation requirement and said Lloyd-Hughes must complete 100 hours of unpaid work.

He must also pay a surcharge and prosecutions costs totalling £199 within seven days.

The IOPC has said the charges followed an investigation it directed, carried out by Counter Terrorism Policing North East, into the messages after a mandatory referral from the West Yorkshire force last September.

Evening Standard

A man who threw lit fireworks at police officers during violent disorder outside a hotel accommodating asylum seekers has been detained.

Jared Skeete, 19, snorted ketamine in front of riot police and shouted abuse outside Suites Hotel in Knowsley on 10 February, Liverpool Crown Court heard.

He threw numerous fireworks in front of around 100 protesters.

Skeete, of Liverpool, admitted violent disorder and was sentenced to three years.

The violence happened during a protest over alleged incidents related to hotel residents, which had been shared on social media.

Judge David Swinnerton said the scenes were “appalling” and “shameful”.

Sentencing Skeete, he told him: “Your role in it, there at the forefront, very close to the police line, throwing fireworks to them, hurling abuse at them, seeking to remove a shield from an officer therefore exposing him to violence and injury, wrestling with him for his riot shield, all of that is despicable behaviour.

“Those scenes of what you did bring shame on you.”

He added: “You goaded the police, you sniffed from your bag of ketamine deliberately in front of them and you were, throughout, shouting abuse at them.”

When arrested Skeete, of Irwell Close in Aigburth, denied being the person shown in the footage but then asked if he could have a copy of it for himself, describing it as “like a movie” and “brutal”, the court heard.

In a statement, PC John Thompson, who was hit on his arm and foot by objects during the violence, said he had suffered bruising and swelling and the incident had caused stress to him and his family.

Insp Ian Murphy suffered post-concussion syndrome following the disorder, the court heard.

Almost £85,000 worth of damage was caused to five police vehicles during the disorder, including a van which was burnt-out.

‘Mob mentality’

Peter White, defending, said Skeete had been socialising with friends on 10 February when he had been made aware of social media rumours which incorrectly accused a resident of the hotel of a serious offence.

He said: “He is a young man aged 19 who allowed himself to be caught up in mob mentality and used this as an opportunity to act in a thoroughly unacceptable manner.”

Skeete was not part of any right-wing organisation and was not involved in planning the disorder, he said, adding: “He was only there for the anarchy that resulted.

“He genuinely wishes to apologise for his actions.”

Det Ch Insp John Fitzgerald said the scenes were “completely reprehensible” and Skeete had “clearly played a role in the disorder” with his “dangerous actions”.

He said the group targeted the premises “causing fear and distress to those residents inside; and to the local community”.

BBC News

Gareth Anthony Brett of Poole was jailed for 12 months for sharing racist messages to stir up racial hatred for several months

A man from Dorset who anonymously shared racist imagery, anti-semitic messages and quotes by Adolf Hitler has been jailed after he sought to stir up racial hatred.

For several months, Gareth Anthony Brett used Twitter accounts and messaging app Telegram to share messages and material that was racially insensitive and divisive to his 2,000 followers on social media.

Bournemouth Crown Court heard how the 35-year-old from Poole fell into a rabbit hole of conspiracy theories during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and became engrossed with anti-semitism, shared offensive comments and images against anyone perceived to be of a non-Aryan and non-European descent and embraced the far-right communities of the internet.

Prosecutor Amy Packham told the court he used the Twitter accounts @europeanrising and @riseofTAS to share such material, as well as criticise immigrants and blamed Covid-19 as being “part of a global conspiracy”. She said: “The posts can effectively be categorised and summarised as generally anti-semitic posts being common throughout.

“Both accounts, the Twitter and Telegram accounts, had been set up for the sole purpose for this sort of material. It is not a personal account in Mr Brett’s name, the purpose of each of them is clearly to promote and stir up racial hatred because it is set up for that purpose.

“There are posts highlighting the physical traits of Jewish people, coupled with images and symbolism which is well known to be anti-semitic and anti-semitic views used by Neo Nazis. He also on that account documented that he had taken a sample of his own DNA to determine his heritage and he implied that he would take his own life if the results showed that he was to be even 1 per cent Jewish.”

Prosecutors and police officers were concerned his tweets were regularly being liked and retweeted by other users and becoming widespread. One offensive tweet attracted 131 retweets and 274 likes.

Judge Robert Pawson observed more of the evidence, where he pointed out contained a number of memes, imagery, sexist and racist language, as well as homophobic and sexist language. The court also heard that Brett would occasionally use his social media accounts to direct his followers to people who complained about his posts and also “general calls to Rise Aryans”.

Ms Packham revealed Brett used messaging app Telegram to share Adolf Hitler quotes, several extracts from Mein Kampf and views on white supremacy. She continued: “This was not simply Mr Brett finding material that he was attracted to and resharing it, he was creating images such a white man wearing a Swastika thumping on the back of a Jewish man with his mouth open against what is either a rail or a curb.”

Brett was investigated and later arrested by Dorset Police on January 28, 2021 and his accounts on Twitter and Telegram were suspended. Brett told officers that he didn’t dispute it was him who shared the material and claimed: “he was simply posting the truth and wanted to help people realise the truth about the world.”

Brett, previously of Lock Road in Poole, pleaded guilty to four counts of publishing written material to stir up racial hatred between May 29, 2020 and January 15, 2021 and accepted he breached bail. Judge Pawson questioned why it had taken 18 months to charge Brett and blamed the Crown Prosecution Service for their slow response.

Defending, Jonathan Underhill, said Brett accepted he wanted to plead guilty to the charges at the earliest opportunity, namely at Poole Magistrates’ Court. Referencing his pre-sentence report, Mr Underhill said Brett became engrossed in far-right communities during the Covid-19 pandemic.

He said: “What is abundantly clear from this – Mr Brett may not thank me for phrasing matters in this way – but the probation officer views him as an isolated individual for whom Covid (pandemic) was particularly difficult and in which he found himself in an echo chamber. He starts out, as it was set out in the report, with conspiracy theories and aliens and very quickly found himself moving into far-right posts.

“He does accept through me that the nature of the posts that formed the basis of the charge goes beyond and outwith any genuine political view that he may have and fall into the realm of that which is illegal.”

Sentencing, Judge Pawson said it was clear that Brett should be imprisoned for his offensive social media posts and remarked judging people on their background is simply wrong. He told Brett: “You have in the course of previous hearings, it seems come to appreciate why what you were doing was criminal and why it’s so serious.

“Judging someone on the colour of the skin, their religion or their race or nationality is like you being judged on the basis of a Mancunian accent or having a beard. To judge someone on the basis of they’re a White European is, I hope you appreciate, mad.

“From what I have read your background has a reasonably objectively sad aspect to it. (You have) Lost contact with your mum, never known your father and drifting as a loner with no purpose.

“You have suffered with mental health issues and I know that because you have been prescribed medication for depression. The sadness is Mr Brett is for quite a long time, I do not know yet and I am not going to ask you whether or not you agree in relation in relation to this, but you just can’t judge people based on colour, religion and race and stip up racial hatred.”

Brett was jailed for 12 months and two weeks and ordered to pay a £156 victim surcharge.

Dorset Live

A RACIST who tried to murder a doorman by slashing his throat with a razor has been jailed for 28 years.

Geoffrey Ryan had been drinking at The Lounge in Braintree in the hours before the horror attack took place on September 9 last year.

The 53-year-old began to cause issues with other punters as his drinking continued and he was subsequently kicked out of the venue in Market Square at 9.30pm.

Chelmsford Crown Court heard he threw a drink over his victim’s colleague and, after an exchange, flicked a cigarette at him and threatened to kill him before walking off.

A hooded Ryan returned to the town centre shortly before 11.30pm driving a Seat Ibiza and parked in the nearby Sainsbury’s car park.

A jury was told how from there he walked to The Lounge and immediately approached the victim, 24, and used a razor to slash his neck.

He sustained a serious wound which required immediate medical care in order to save his life.

Judge David Turner KC said: “This was gratuitous, chilling and calculated violence which almost led to death.

“I am completely satisfied it had a significant and disturbing anti-Muslim flavour.”

Ryan, of Brick Kiln Way, Braintree, denied attempted murder and racially aggravated harassment but was convicted following a week-long trial last month.

The court heard the victim has been left with a “significant” lifelong scar as a result of the 3cm deep cut which ran from the victim’s right ear to the midline of his neck.

Judge Turner continued: “I have little doubt that you decided to return to show who was boss.

“The decision to return at all was troubling. The decision to take a razor was chilling as events were soon to confirm.

“Your conduct was ruthless and hideously, if briefly, violent.”

Ryan shouted and attempted to leave the dock before he was told he would spend the next 28 years behind bars.

He was handed an extended sentence, meaning he will spend an additional three years on licence when released from prison.

Ryan will serve at least two thirds of the 31 year total sentence.

Southend Echo

A former private school pupil who posted neo-Nazi and homophobic videos on the internet has avoided jail.

Oliver Riley, 19, admitted a string of terrorism offences following his arrest at a boarding school in Gloucestershire in October 2021.

He uploaded 23 videos to the internet that were racist, homophobic and glorified Nazism and terrorist attacks.

The judge said he accepted Riley’s “genuine remorse” and sentenced him to a three-year community order.

Police seized a mobile phone, a laptop and a red notebook during a search of Riley’s room following his arrest.

The channel he used to upload the offensive material was open to the public and had 21 subscribers, the Old Bailey heard.

Holocaust denying meme

In June 2020 he posted a music video with the title “Kill all the gays” that had been viewed 234 times.

In August 2020, he posted another video featuring footage filmed by the terrorist who murdered 51 people in Christchurch, New Zealand, that was set to a Looney Tunes audio background.

On 12 October 2021 he pleaded guilty to possession of a document containing information useful to a person preparing an act of terrorism.

The document included instructions on how to make high and low explosives and how to set up a paramilitary unit.

He also sent a holocaust denying meme via WhatsApp to his then girlfriend.

Riley told the court he had taken shooting lessons at school but had made no attempt to make explosives from the instructions he had.

Prosecutor Tom Williams said the defendant, from Watlington in Oxfordshire, was aged 16 and 17 at the time of the offences.

When cautioned by the police, he said Riley had told officers “I have been incredibly stupid”.

Following his arrest, Riley said he was “sorry” for what he had done, Mr Williams added.

In July, Riley admitted providing a service to others to obtain, read, listen to or look at a publication to encourage terrorism and pleaded guilty to the charges against him.

‘High-achieving sibling’

In mitigation, Ed Henry KC said Riley had traits of an autism spectrum disorder.

Mr Henry said Riley had a “high-achieving sibling” but was himself “a stumbler” and suffered from “a chronic sense of under-achievement”.

He suggested Riley had “bought into” the “putrid propaganda” he had been exposed to that had led him to say he wanted to go to South Africa and turn it “into a pro-white” state.

The court previously heard how Riley had sent a message on WhatsApp saying: “Sometimes I want to die, kill my self, go to war or something, I sometimes want to kill people and rape people because I am so angry.”

“He had no intention to rape anybody and he had no intention of killing anybody,” Mr Henry said.

“He made a series of calamitous errors of judgment, mistakes.”

Mr Justice Jeremy Baker said at sentencing he had taken into account Riley’s co-operation with the investigation, his young age and early guilty plea.

Delivering his judgement he said in this case, “exceptionally”, he was satisfied a community order would be effective.

Riley must complete a rehabilitation activity for 60 days, he must carry out 200 hours of unpaid work, and he may not delete his digital history for three years.

BBC News

James Allchurch, from Pembrokeshire, also known by the alias Sven Longshanks, hosted and produced Radio Aryan.

A white-supremacist podcast host has been found guilty of stirring up racial hatred, with a judge describing his recordings as “a stain on humanity”.

James Allchurch, 51, from Pembrokeshire, Wales, was convicted of ten out of 15 counts of distributing audio material to stir up racial hatred over a two-year period.

Following a trial at Swansea Civic Centre, Judge Huw Rees told the self-proclaimed “avowed racist” and Adolf Hitler supporter that he faces a prison sentence measured in years not months.

Judge Rees adjourned sentencing until April 28 for a pre-sentence report to be carried out.

After the verdicts were returned on Friday, the judge said: “The language the jury has had to put up with is vile language, and it is unacceptable in my view that anybody should wish to express themselves in this way.

“What I have heard over the last fortnight I regard as a stain on humanity.”

Turning to Allchurch’s defence counsel, Emily Baxter, Judge Rees added: “My intention is to send your client to prison immediately. And that sentence will be measured in years, not in months.”

Asking the defendant to stand, he said: “James Barnaby Allchurch, you will be sentenced by me on April 28. I have directed a pre-sentence report be carried out so I know everything about you.

“I make it very clear to you that you should prepare yourself for a sentence of immediate imprisonment.”

Allchurch was again released on bail but with conditions to reside at his given address and to co-operate fully with the probation service.

The judge thanked the jury of six men and six women who he said had been “careful” in their deliberations.

“You paid very close attention to what has been a distressing case and you’ve heard language and viewpoints that you probably thought in this day and age you would never have to read or hear. I’m sorry about that,” he said.

“This is a court of reality and unfortunately the reality of this defendant’s world is entirely different from most right-thinking people.”

Each of the charges brought against Allchurch related to a separate audio file uploaded between May 17 2019 and March 18 2021 to a public website called Radio Aryan, which was later renamed Radio Albion.

The jury listened to each of the episodes, totalling about nine hours of audio, in which Allchurch can be repeatedly heard using racial slurs and propagating racist ideology while discussing topics including grooming gangs, immigration, slavery and crime.

The episodes were described by Jonathan Rees KC, prosecuting, as “highly racist, antisemitic and white supremacist in nature”.

Allchurch was joined in some of the episodes by National Action co-founder Alex Davies, 27, from Swansea, who was jailed in June last year for being a member of the banned far-right organisation, as well as other known extremists from the US and UK.

He used the alias Sven Longshanks, a reference to King Edward I, who was also known as Edward Longshanks and was responsible for expelling Jewish people from England in 1290.

Mr Rees told the jury: “In his own words, the defendant is an avowed racist and considers himself to be a national socialist.

“The very purpose of Radio Aryan was to spread his propaganda about racial conflict.”

Police arrested Allchurch, who said he is disabled and unable to work, at his home on December 17 2019.

Giving evidence, Allchurch denied the podcast encouraged hatred or racial violence.

He told the court that his use of racial slurs was not intended to cause offence, and said he believed he was using “accurate terminology”.

The defendant said he spent up to 12 hours per day creating podcast episodes and maintaining his website, which accepts donations via a Bitcoin link.

He said he was not a member of any proscribed far-right organisation.

When asked if people would be upset by what he said in the recordings, Allchurch replied: “My audience is other nationalists who at the time used similar or worse terminology.”

Judge Huw Rees asked if Allchurch accepted that members of the public had “unfettered access” to the website.

Allchurch replied: “They had to know the address, they had to know the name and look it up. We didn’t advertise anywhere that wasn’t already within the nationalist community.”

He was asked about Davies and told jurors the far-right group leader had not been charged or convicted when he appeared on the podcast.

In one exchange during a recording about grooming gangs, Allchurch described himself and Davies as “avowed racists”.

Allchurch told the jury: “It was just a joke. People accuse myself and others like me as racists. Anybody centre right, even the Conservatives, get accused of being racist.”

Shropshire Star

Alan Madden pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to dissemination of a terrorist publication and three counts of stirring up racial hatred.

A 65-year-old man has admitted posting videos online promoting banned far-right group National Action and stirring up racial hatred.

Alan Madden pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to dissemination of a terrorist publication and three counts of stirring up racial hatred.

The offences were said to have taken place on dates in September and December 2020, with the racist videos shared on the BitTube content sharing platform.

Madden, from Port Sunlight in Wirral, appeared in court by video link and said he was guilty on the basis he was “reckless” on each charge.

Mr Justice Jeremy Baker adjourned sentencing to May 11 at Liverpool Crown Court.

He is already due to be sentenced for offences relating to firearms and offensive weapons arising from the time of his arrest.

The defendant was remanded into custody.

Evening Standard

A 16-year-old boy who “idolised convicted international terrorists” has been found guilty of plotting a right-wing terror attack.

The boy, from Haworth, West Yorkshire, was just 15 when he was arrested in June by counter-terrorism officers.

He was found guilty of an offence contrary to section 5 of the Terrorism Act after a trial at Leeds Crown Court.

The teen admitted five further terror offences and possession of a knife and will be sentenced at a later date.

The offences he pleaded guilty to included four charges of the dissemination of a terrorist publication and one of encouraging terrorism.

Following the verdict Counter Terrorism Policing North East (CTPNE) released images of a knife and a screwdriver found at the boy’s address as well a sheet of paper covered in the names of convicted terrorists, right-wing symbols and anti-Semitic and anti-Islamic phrases.

CTPNE said following his arrest officers had uncovered the “preparatory steps the defendant had made as part of his plan” adding that “his crude, extreme right-wing mindset was also apparent from his digital search history, where he idolised convicted international terrorists”.

Det Ch Supt James Dunkerley, head of CTPNE, said they were satisfied the boy had acted “in isolation”.

He said: “We’d like to reassure the public that there is no specific or increased threat to local communities as a result of this case.”

The officer urged anyone who who was worried about someone “expressing extreme views or hatred” to come forward.

He added: “By contacting The ACT Early website you can access specially trained staff who will confidentially listen to your concerns and consider the right approach to get that person the help they need before they go too far.”
BBC News

Gardaí believe UK national Mark Wolf (37) was planning an attack

A right-wing extremist has been jailed for 10 years after being caught with firearms components, a guide for the 3D printing of weapons and images of child abuse.

UK national Mark Wolf (37) was caught after an extensive investigation by anti-terrorism specialists from the Garda Special Detective Unit. It is believed to be the first conviction relating to far-right terrorism in the Irish courts.

Gardaí believe Wolf, who also used the name Mark Peppard, intended to carry out a terrorist attack but had not formulated a solid plan by the time of his arrest. They believe he was working alone and not affiliated with any group.

Sentencing Wolf, Judge Martin Nolan said analysis of his phones “demonstrated this man had interest in violent means and had hostility towards certain groups”. As well as the weapons and military equipment, Wolf was found with badges depicting the An Garda Síochána logo.

A Europol report on terrorism released last year referred to Wolf as someone who “sympathised with right-wing extremism and had an interest in previous atrocities committed by right-wing extremists”.

Among the items seized from Wolf was a video of a live stream of the mass shooting at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in March 2019. Texts sent to his phone referenced the killing of children on a regular basis.

Other items seized included a Nazi flag along with military goggles, tactical gloves, flick knifes, an array of military tents and sleeping bags and other items. One of the badges was of a Sonnenrad or Black Sun, a popular neo-Nazi symbol used by the New Zealand mass shooter.

Wolf is wanted in the UK to face trial relating to eight terrorism charges and two counts of making indecent photographs of a child. The terror charges relate to possession of documents “likely to be useful to a person in committing or preparing an act of terrorism”.

Gardaí were able to establish that Wolf had been living in a hostel in Gardiner Street, Dublin, after he sought to import firearm components from the US.

During the raid of his hostel room in 2021, gardaí confiscated four mobile phones which were found to contain images of child abuse including Snapchat conversations between Wolf and two different teenage girls, one of which involved both Wolf and the girl engaging in separate sex acts over Snapchat.

Det Sgt Gareth Kane told Eoin Lawlor, prosecuting, that in addition to the images of child abuse, there were images and videos on Wolf’s phone of human suffering such as a foetus being made into soup, a woman shooting herself and males being decapitated.

They also discovered that Wolf made bids for domain address such as paedo-info and paedo-rights and evidence that he had accessed the dark web and visited a site that contained a list of resources for child abuse material.

During the raid, gardaí found various components that would be used in the assembly or manufacture of semi-automatic weapons, including a buffer spring and buffer tube and documentation with instructions on how to put them together. One of the documents described the process of 3D printing weapons.

Wolf, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to four charges of being in possession of the component parts of a firearm, possession of an electronic document in relation to the assembly of a firearm, three charges of importing component parts of a firearm into the State and three charges of knowingly being in possession of child pornography on dates in June 2021.

He had previous convictions from the UK including for assault, causing grievous bodily harm, firearm offences and battery.

Dean Kelly, defending, said his client left school at 12 at the behest of his mother to assist her following her diagnosis of schizophrenia. He said Wolf had been treated in London following a diagnosis of bipolar and post-traumatic stress disorder. He submitted that it would have been a lengthy and complex trial but for Wolf’s guilty pleas.

Judge Nolan imposed concurrent terms of 10 years in prison for the firearm offences and two years for the possession of child abuse material, which were backdated to when Wolf first went into custody in June 2021.

Irish Times