Peter Morgan had denied the charges

Peter Morgan had denied the charges

A man found in possession of explosive items and extreme right-wing paraphernalia at a flat in Edinburgh has been today (Thursday 16th August 2018) been jailed.

At Edinburgh High Court on Friday 13th July 2018, Peter Morgan was found guilty of two offences under the Terrorism Act 2000 and one offence under the Explosive Substances Act 1883.

Officers were conducting enquiries into the death of a teenage woman, who was found unconscious within a stairwell at a block of flats in Taylor Place in July 2017, when Morgan’s offences were discovered.

As part of officers’ enquiries into the full circumstances surrounding her death, entry was forced to the 35-year-old’s property.

During the search of the flat, officers became aware of extremist material and Police Scotland’s Organised Crime & Counter Terrorism Unit (OCCTU) were immediately called in to investigate, supported by the Explosive Ordnance Disposal.

A number of items, which could be used to construct an explosive device, were seized along with phones and computer equipment.

Following analysis of these, it was established that Morgan had been researching racist content and information on constructing explosives online.

Morgan was arrested and has been remanded in custody since this time. At Edinburgh High Court, he has now been sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Detective Inspector Jackie Gilfillan from OCCTU said: “The sentence handed to Morgan reflects the serious nature of his crimes and the commitment of both Police Scotland and the Crown Office to removing extremist threats.

“While Morgan had not created any viable devices within his home, the intent to construct an object that could cause serious harm and fear within our communities was clear.

“The national Action Counters Terrorism (ACT) campaign recognises the important role the public have to play in preventing terrorism and, whenever such individuals come to our attention, a thorough investigation will be undertaken to bring them to justice.

“While on this occasion we were able to prevent any danger to the public, I’d encourage anyone with concerns about a person viewing extremist or terrorist material to report this to Police Scotland on 101 or to the Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321.”

Police Scotland

Morgan was photographed at a white pride rally in Manchester in 2015

Morgan was photographed at a white pride rally in Manchester in 2015

A right-wing extremist caught with a bomb-making kit in his Edinburgh flat has been sentenced to 12 years in jail.

Explosive powder, fuses and a glass bottle studded with lead shot were found when police raided Peter Morgan’s home in Meadowbank last July.

During his trial a bomb disposal expert told the court the material could have been turned into an explosive device capable of causing horrific injuries.

A Nazi flag, far-right literature and terrorist training manuals were found.

Judge Lord Boyd told the 35-year-old the charges he had been convicted of threatened “the safety of the public, our values as a democracy and strike at the dignity and respect which all members of our community are entitled to expect whatever their race or religion”.

He will spend a further three years under supervision at the end of his 12-year sentence.

Lord Boyd told Morgan at the High Court in Edinburgh: “You have been convicted of two charges under the Terrorism Act and one charge under the Explosives Substances Act 1883.

“You assert your right to freedom of speech. However abhorrent some may find your views, you are entitled to hold them.

“What you are not entitled to do is to act on these views for the purpose of committing or preparing an act of terrorism.

“Of most concern is that you not only possessed the ingredients for the making of an improvised explosive device but you had begun to assemble it.”

The judge said it was clear the jury at Morgan’s earlier trial had rejected his claim during his evidence that he only planned to blow up a frozen turkey and film it for YouTube.

Lord Boyd pointed out that while Morgan had told a social worker who prepared a background report that he would never collect such material again, he did not disavow his political views.

Police also discovered that Morgan had downloaded an international application form to become “a loyal white knight of the Ku Klux Klan”.

He had amassed a collection of neo-Nazi, anti-Muslim and anti-Semitic and racist material at his home.

Peter Morgan had denied the charges

Peter Morgan had denied the charges

Morgan’s trial heard that he was “quite proud” to be part of the Scottish Defence League and travelled with others from the far right group to attend a white pride rally in Manchester in 2015.

He was photographed at the march with his hood up carrying a Scottish saltire flag and holding a “white pride worldwide” poster.

Morgan had earlier denied committing offences under the Terrorism Act and Explosives Substances Act but was found guilty of three offences.

Between April 2012 and July last year at his flat in Taylor Place, in Edinburgh, he possessed items which gave rise to a reasonable suspicion that it was for a purpose “connected with the commission, preparation of instigation of an act of terrorism”.

The court heard emergency services originally attended at the block of flats where he lived on 2 July 2017 after a young woman collapsed and was found to have no pulse.

A resident said that she previously saw the woman at Morgan’s flat and police decided to force entry because of concern for others.

No one was in the flat at the time but officers noted drugs paraphernalia such as needles and scales and the premises were secured. Morgan was later seen nearby.

A large quantity of commercial fireworks were found, some of which had been taken apart.

A dagger bearing the symbol of an eagle mounted on a swastika was recovered under a sofa in the living room.

Defence solicitor advocate Brian Gilfedder said Morgan had an “atrocious” upbringing, had spent time in care homes and foster placements and began abusing drugs at the age of 11.

He told the court: “He is not shy about the political and social views that he said he legitimately holds.”

Fuses were among the things found in Morgan's possessions

Fuses were among the things found in Morgan’s possessions

BBC News

 Daniel Lewis at an NF demo in Wigan. Picture from Hope Not Hate


Daniel Lewis at an NF demo in Wigan. Picture from Hope Not Hate

A Wigan man jailed for threatening shop staff with a weapon is also a notorious local far-right leader, it emerged today.

Anti-extremism organisations and politicians reacted with relief to the news Daniel Lewis, of Wigan Lane, is now behind bars.

Vile social media posts highlighted online show Lewis making comments about the Holocaust which are too offensive to print, appearing at racist hate events and posing with flags bearing swastikas.

The 31-year-old, who is the Wigan leader of extreme far-right group the National Front and has links to the infamous North West Infidels, has also previously been unmasked by anti-racism campaigning organisation Hope Not Hate as a Holocaust denier.

Lewis was finally put behind bars for four and a half years last Thursday following an incident in which he and another man wore balaclavas and brandished an axe and a claw hammer as they demanded terrified staff at the Tesco store on Gidlow Lane open the tills to give them money.

Hope Not Hate today said Lewis being put in prison would be a massive relief to those in Wigan and elsewhere he has previously targeted for hatred.

The organisation’s head of research Matthew Collins said: “He is absolutely feral. He was out of control and had been for quite a while.

“It wasn’t just going out and robbing shops, he was a persistent danger to women in Wigan. He stalked and attacked Labour Party members and the police were called on a number of occasions.

“He was involved with the National Front, he was the organiser for them in Wigan and one of a number of organisers across the North West.

“He was also aligned to the North West Infidels, who have particularly made a name for themselves intimidating women.

“We are very happy that he is off the streets. We hope he takes the time to reflect on his behaviour and I’m sure he will because he is in prison.”

Wigan MP Lisa Nandy, who has herself been targeted for sickening abuse by Lewis, called for more funding to be given to crack down on the far-right’s activities.

Ms Nandy said: “The vital work that Hope Not Hate and the police do to keep the public safe from these violent individuals should be commended.

“With the police under serious strain from nearly a decade of cuts and several threats involving the far right in recent years, it is clear they need a properly resourced, national strategy to help them in this crucial work.”

As news broke of Lewis’ jail sentence further details about his trail of appalling comments and actions came to light once more.

That included calling for violent actions against gay people, carrying out acts of harassment against people in Wigan and involvement in campaigns making horrific threats towards asylum seekers and refugees.

Hope Not Hate also previously reported on disgusting Facebook comments and photographs on Lewis’ account showing him smirking at the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp while the accompanying comments mocked Holocaust victims and denied the genocide.

Photographs were shared of Lewis playing a prominent role in a National Front demo in Wigan town centre in 2015 in which extremists, some of them giving Nazi salutes, clashed with a large counter-protest and police.

The NF attempted to hold a similar anti-immigration event in the borough in 2016 but it was called off at the last minute.

The law caught up with Lewis following the violent incident on May 10 this year, in which he and his co-offender emptied large amounts of cash, alcohol and cigarettes before driving off.

Responding to last week’s sentencing, Detective Sergeant Nigel Rigby of GMP’s Wigan borough said: “These men didn’t just demand money, they held an axe to an innocent woman’s throat as they made their threats.

“They caused immense fear and I am grateful we were able to get them in custody 24 hours after the terrifying ordeal.”

Wigan Today

The vice president of the Aryan Strikeforce has become the fourth member of the white nationalist organization to plead guilty to a role in a scheme to transport weapons and drugs across state lines.

Steven D. Davis, 46, of Bumpass, Va., Friday entered his plea in U.S. Middle District Court to a charge of possession of firearms by a convicted felon. He remains detained pending sentencing.

He admitted in early October 2016 he traveled from Virginia to Potter County with a shotgun and a 9mm pistol and gave them to another strikeforce member who had served 10 years for aggravated assault.

Strikeforce members met in Potter County in September and October of that year, Assistant U.S. Attorney George J. Rocktashel said.

The three who previously pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge are Joshua Michael Steever, of Manville, N.J., Connor Drew Dikes of Silver Spring, Md., and Henry Lambert David of the Allentown area. None of them has been sentenced.

They admitted taking part in planning meetings in the Harrisburg area with undercover FBI employees and in 2017 participating in the transportation of imitation crystal methamphetamine and machine gun parts from Pennsylvania to Maryland.

As he has done at previous court proceedings involving strikeforce members, Rocktashel cited the organization’s stated mission “to protect the honor of our women, children and the future of our race and nation” using violence as a necessary tool.

Of the six indicted, only Jacob Marks Robards of Bethlehem and Justin Daniel Lough of Waynesboro, Va., are awaiting trial.

Lough is fighting his indictment accusing the government of outrageous conduct by conceiving, planning and directing the scheme. Rocktashel alleges Lough was a willing participant.

Penn Live

Balaclava-clad robbers have been jailed after threatening a shop assistant with an axe.

Late on Thursday May 10, Daniel Lewis (19/04/1987) of Wigan Lane, Wigan and Stephen Warburton (22/04/1973) of Menses Avenue, Wigan walked into a Tesco Express on Gidlow Lane, one wearing a balaclava that was made out of a trouser leg, while the other’s balaclava was inside out.

Daniel Lewis

Daniel Lewis

Despite their amateur appearance, these men were brandishing an axe and a claw hammer, and held the axe to one of the staff member’s throats as they demanded money from the tills.

The violent duo then emptied the contents of the tills into a holdall that they had brought with them, throwing in alcohol and cigarettes.

They then fled from the scene in a silver Renault Clio.

Officers soon located this Clio and discovered the cash, cigarettes, claw hammer and axe that had been used in the robbery, alongside a receipt for the purchase of the weapons and the makeshift balaclavas.

With the evidence mounted against them, the duo were arrested later that day for robbery and refused to comment on whether they were responsible for the terrifying incident.

Warburton and Lewis pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing and were both sentenced yesterday, Thursday 9 August 2018, at Bolton Crown Court.

Warburton was sentenced to 6 and a half years for passion of a bladed article, assault and robbery, while Lewis was sentenced to four and a half years for robbery.

Detective Sergeant Nigel Rigby of GMP’s Wigan borough, said: “These men didn’t just demand money, they held an axe to an innocent woman’s throat as they made their threats.

“They caused immense fear, taking earnings that did not belong to them, and I am grateful we were able to get them in custody 24 hours after the terrifying ordeal.

“Warburton and Lewis will now spend the next 11 years behind bars, facing the consequences of their violent actions.”

Wigan Today

It happened in May this year on Menses Avenue

It happened in May this year on Menses Avenue

31 year old Daniel Lewis of Wigan Lane, Wigan and 45 year old Stephen Warburton of Menses Avenue walked into a Tesco on Gidlow Lane, one wearing a balaclava that was made out of a trouser leg, while the other’s balaclava was inside out.

Despite their amateur appearance, these men were brandishing an axe and a claw hammer, and held the axe to one of the staff member’s throats as they demanded money from the tills.

The violent duo then emptied the contents of the tills into a holdall that they had brought with them, throwing in alcohol and cigarettes.

They then fled from the scene in a silver Renault Clio.

Officers soon located this Clio and discovered the cash, cigarettes, claw hammer and axe that had been used in the robbery, alongside a receipt for the purchase of the weapons and the makeshift balaclavas.

With the evidence mounted against them, the duo were arrested later that day for robbery and refused to comment on whether they were responsible for the terrifying incident.

Warburton and Lewis pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing and were both sentenced yesterday, Thursday 9 August 2018, at Bolton Crown Court.

Warburton was sentenced to 6 and a half years for passion of a bladed article, assault and robbery, while Lewis was sentenced to four and a half years for robbery.

Detective Sergeant Nigel Rigby of GMP’s Wigan borough, said: “These men didn’t just demand money, they held an axe to an innocent woman’s throat as they made their threats.

“They caused immense fear, taking earnings that did not belong to them, and I am grateful we were able to get them in custody 24 hours after the terrifying ordeal.

“Warburton and Lewis will now spend the next 11 years behind bars, facing the consequences of their violent actions.”

Wish FM

Welsh man Jonathan Jennings handed 16-month prison sentence for Islamophobic and threatening posts

Jonathan Jennings pled guilty to 10 offences

Jonathan Jennings pled guilty to 10 offences

A man who posted anti-Muslim messages on social media and made a threat to kill Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has been jailed for 16 months.

Jonathan Jennings used platforms such as YouTube and GAB – billed as the “free speech” social network – to make Islamophobic statements inciting religious hatred.

Prosecutors revealed the 34-year-old man from Carmarthenshire had written posts calling for all Muslims to be gassed and to be forcibly sterilised. He claimed those who tried to convert others to Islam should be sentenced to death.

He repeatedly called for the murder of Muslims and supported “bomb a mosque day” suggested by another extremist, Nigel Pelham, who was jailed last year.

Sentenced at Swansea Crown Court on Thursday, Jennings pled guilty to four offences of inciting racial hatred and another six offences related to the sending of material with the intention of causing distress and anxiety.

The Crown Prosecution Service today said his jail sentence “reflects the seriousness of his crimes.”

Between March and August last year, Jennings also posted a series of threatening messages about left-leaning public figures and one about the Jewish community, alongside his diatribes about British Muslims.

In March 2017 he called Gina Miller – the prominent lawyer who led a legal challenge against Brexit – a traitor and called for her to be executed.

A few months later he said if Jeremy Corbyn became prime minister he would be first in line to “Jo Cox him” – a reference to the murder of the Labour MP by a right-wing extremist back in June 2016.

Another message stated that Hitler was born a 100 years too soon. He went on to threaten the Jewish community, saying if they did not behave themselves they would share the same fate as Muslims.

Deb Walsh from the CPS said: “Jonathan Jennings’ hatred of Muslims led him to post online messages stirring up animosity towards a whole community.

“He did not limit himself to expressing his views but called on others to indiscriminately kill Muslims and bomb mosques. Jennings also targeted the Jewish community and called for public figures whose views he did not like to be executed.

“The prison sentence reflects the seriousness of his crimes.”

Detective Superintendent Jim Hall of the Wales Extremism and Counter Terrorism Unit said: “We are committed to tackling all forms of extremism which has the potential to threaten public safety and security.

“Such was the strength of evidence of Jennings’ activities that he entered guilty pleas to all of the offences.

“There have been a number of successful prosecutions over recent years and this is testament to the work of police teams up and down the country.”

DS Jim Hall hailed the help of the public in identifying incitement of racial hatred and other forms of extremism.

“Nobody is better placed to detect something that is out of place in their communities than the people living in them,” he said. “To effectively combat the terrorism threat the police, businesses, government and the general public need to work together.”

“Anyone who sees or hears something that could be terrorist-related should act on their instincts and call the police in confidence on 0800 789 321.”

The Independent

A 34 year-old man from Brynaman has appeared before Swansea Crown Court after entering guilty pleas to six offences under Section One Malicious Communications Act and four offences of Inciting Racial Hatred under the Public Order Act.

Jonathan Jennings called for Muslims to be sterilised, gassed, or killed on sight

Jonathan Jennings called for Muslims to be sterilised, gassed, or killed on sight

Jonathan Jennings used social media platforms such as GAB and YouTube to post anti-muslim and anti-government messages and often targeted prominent left-leaning politicians and individuals, frequently referring to murdered MP Jo Cox in his on-line posts.

Jennings was sentenced to 16 months in prison.

Speaking after sentencing, Detective Superintendent Jim Hall of the Wales Extremism and Counter Terrorism Unit said: “We are committed to tackling all forms of extremism which has the potential to threaten public safety and security. Such was the strength of evidence of Jennings’ activities that he entered guilty pleas to all of the offences.

“There have been a number of successful prosecutions over recent years and this is testament to the work of police teams up and down the country.

“Nobody is better placed to detect something that is out of place in their communities than the people living in them. To effectively combat the terrorism threat the police, businesses, government and the general public need to work together.

“Anyone who sees or hears something that could be terrorist-related should act on their instincts and call the police in confidence on 0800 789 321.

Visit gov.uk/ACT for more information, including how to report extremist or terrorist content that is online.

South Wales Guardian

Sirrs was jailed for more than 12 years for his part in horrific racist attacks on Middle Eastern immigrants in Hull

Drug dealer Christopher Sirrs has this week been orders to pay back £3,000 from his ill-gotten gains – but he hides a shocking racist past.

Sirrs, 44, was one of two racist ringleaders who led a violent neo-Nazi campaign against asylum-seekers in Hull 14 years ago.

Sirrs was handed a 14-and-a-half year sentence which was cut to 12-and-a-half years on appeal, while his thug cohort Ben Povey was handed a 19-year sentence reduced to 15 years on appeal.

Bloodthirsty guttersnipes

During sentence, the judge at the time described them as “bloodthirsty guttersnipes”.

Povey and Sirrs mowed down an Iraqi asylum-seeker, sending him flying into the air “like a rag doll” and shattering his leg in three places. Later Povey, when asked about the attack, said to his girlfriend: “They should all die.”

Mugshots of Christopher Sirrs (left) and Ben Povey who was jailed in 2004 for racial violence

Mugshots of Christopher Sirrs (left) and Ben Povey who was jailed in 2004 for racial violence

It was just one of a serious of violent scenes which brought Hull’s racial tensions to melting point in the searing heat of July 2004.

Gang warfare

The city had become a battleground as gangs clashed in the streets, brandishing lead pipes, baseball bats, Samurai swords and planks of wood studded with nails. Cars were set alight with petrol bombs.

Judge Tom Cracknell said at the time the men were sentenced: “I regard Sirrs and Povey as very dangerous young men. They have not shown one moment of remorse about their conduct.”

Christopher Sirrs

Christopher Sirrs

The pair had joined the Hull Cruise Club – a group which spent its evenings driving souped-up cars around the streets.

Sirrs, then 30, was adept at manipulating younger members of a club which until then was described by police as a “nuisance rather than a menace”.

Thug who thinks he has a brain

Detective Inspector Mark Smith, the officer in charge, speaking after the men were sentenced said: “Sirrs is just a thug who thinks he has a brain.

“He likes to have people around him, likes to have muscle, and he seems to command respect among this element. [He] wouldn’t think twice about just petrol-bombing your house or car.”

Trouble flared in 2004 when a group of immigrants began driving their cars around the same area as the club. A minor clash led to a series of battles with cars being rammed or smashed up with baseball bats.

In mid-July Povey smashed the windscreen of a Vauxhall car driven by immigrants while Sirrs threw a petrol bomb at the vehicle. They pursued it with Povey swinging a Samurai sword from the open sunroof.

Mowed down

A few days later, two immigrants made the mistake of parking their car in the area before going out to a nightclub.

They returned in the early hours to be met by a gang hurling racist abuse because they believed they were among a group of Kosovans who had damaged the club’s cars.

One was hit with a baseball bat and the two fled up the street, with Sirrs and Povey in pursuit.

The car being driven by Sirrs, with Povey as passenger, crossed the central reservation and ploughed into the other man, sending him flying into the air, before driving off. Other members of the gang stayed to abuse the Iraqi with racist taunts as he lay there injured and in pain.

The attack led to further tension as members of the local immigrant community clashed violently with the gang members.

Witness intimidation

Sirrs and Povey had also tried to intimidate witnesses. Povey fire-bombed a car belonging to the family of a witness while both telephoned him to get him to change his statement.

Povey was convicted of causing Mr Mohammed grievous bodily harm with intent by a jury at Hull Crown Court. He was also jailed for making petrol bombs, intimidating witnesses, arson, violent disorder and possession of an offensive weapon.

Sirrs was jailed for grievous bodily harm, which he admitted, and convicted of possession of a Samurai sword and nail-embedded pickaxe handle, making an explosive substance, violent disorder and perverting the course of justice.

Others were also jailed following that summer of madness for assaults, arson, making explosives and violent disorder.

Sirrs has continued his life of crime and is back in jail after admitting possession of amphetamine with intent to supply and possessing criminal property.

Hull Daily Mail

Scots 'Nazi dog' film maker Mark Meechan's appeal refused

Scots ‘Nazi dog’ film maker Mark Meechan’s appeal refused


A MAN who was fined after filming a pet dog giving Nazi salutes has failed in an attempt to appeal his conviction.

Mark Meechan, 30, was ordered to pay £800 after recording his girlfriend’s pug, Buddha, responding to statements such as “gas the Jews” and “Sieg Heil” by raising its paw.

He was found guilty of breaching the Communications Act by posting material that was “grossly offensive” and “anti-Semitic and racist in nature”, in an offence aggravated by religious prejudice, following a trial at Airdrie Sheriff Court in April.

Meechan, of Coatbridge, Lanarkshire, raised more than £193,000 through a crowdfunding page to pay for legal fees to fund an appeal against his conviction and sentence but has now revealed that it has failed at the first hurdle.

His lawyers took the case to the Sheriff Appeal Court in Edinburgh but a panel of sheriffs refused to grant leave to appeal.

The case did not make it to a full hearing as it was refused at the ‘sift’ stage where sheriffs review bids to appeal and determine whether they have any merit.

YouTube prankster Meechan, who claimed the video was a joke and that he was exercising his right to freedom of speech, has said his legal team will now refer the case to the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission, who review potential miscarriages of justice.

Earlier this week, he vowed to go to prison rather than pay his fine if the appeal process was unsuccessful.

In a video posted online about the appeal decision, he said: “My appeal has been completely rejected.

“Scottish appeal courts work on a sift process where you get two chances to submit your appeal and it can be rejected at that stage on the grounds that there is absolutely no hope in hell of your appeal being successful.

“Mine was rejected on both stages. Apparently what happened to me is completely inarguable.

“I believe I have suffered a miscarriage of justice and my lawyers are going to submit that to the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission.

“Hopefully the commission will agree and ask the appeal court to accept my appeal case.

“I never even got a hearing, I just got two rejection letters.”

He added: “I’m obviously not happy about the fact that I’m going to jail but I’m more than prepared to do it for what I believe in.

“I absolutely refuse to sacrifice my principles just so I can get an easy time under a law I shouldn’t even be getting charged under in the first place.”

The Sheriff Appeal Court confirmed Meechan’s bid to appeal had been refused last month.

The original clip was viewed more than three million times on YouTube and sparked a debate over free speech, with comedians Ricky Gervais and David Baddiel defending Meechan.

During an interview on BBC Radio Scotland on Tuesday, Meechan claimed people should be allowed to say whatever they want, no matter how offensive, and it should not be a criminal offence.

He claimed Sheriff Derek O’Carroll, who presided over his trial, was from an older generation and didn’t understand his sense of humour.

He said: “The judge was a lot older, he’s from a different generation. There are jokes you would tell your friends but you would never repeat them to your grandmother.

“He was judging it from the era of comedy that he grew up with.

“One of my main gripes with the case is I was being judged by a man who doesn’t understand my world. I think that’s what has given me the biggest bee in my bonnet with regards to the judge’s decision.”

Meechan also said that since his conviction he has been unable to find work and has been subjected to violent threats on the street.

He has said any money left over for his legal challenge will be donated to charity.

The Herald