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

Steven Donovan was caught after a concerned PCSO spotted stickers and graffiti in Greenhead Park

A Huddersfield man who put offensive stickers up around the town has been jailed.

Steven Donovan, 32, pleaded guilty at Leeds Crown Court last month to a catalogue of offences which included stirring up racial hatred, dissemination of terrorist material, possession of a knife, possession of extreme pornography and possession of racially inflammatory material.

He was caught in May 2020 after a PCSO who was out on routine patrol came across a large numbers of stickers and graffiti in and around Greenhead Park in Huddersfield. The officer raised their concerns and an investigation was carried out by Counter Terrorism Policing North East.

Enquiries found that the same person had also been posting and sharing extreme right wing material online. The investigation led to Donovan, who was arrested in June that year and charged in August 2021.

On Tuesday, he was handed an extended sentence made up of 27 months imprisonment and an extended licence period of one year. He was also made subject to notification requirements for 10 years under the Counter Terrorism Act.

Detective Chief Superintendent Jim Dunkerley, head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East, said: “Communities in West Yorkshire work tirelessly alongside agencies such as the police to ensure our towns and cities are welcoming and inclusive to people of all backgrounds. Those who seek to bring hated to our communities and disrupt cohesion through criminal activities will be tracked down and brought before the courts.

“We must stand together by challenging hateful extremist attitudes and trusting our instincts by reporting concerning or suspicious behaviour to the police.”

Yorkshire Live

The ex-security guard went on to post a link to a clip on the making of “The Ultimate DIY machine pistol”.

A Scots member of a far-right online group who shared a video on how to make a replica sub-machine gun has been jailed for two years and eight months.

James Farrell joined Oaken Hearth sharing racist and neo-Nazi views with other bigots. The 32 year-old’s photos and comments included him claiming ‘n*****s” were “sub-human” and also later stating: “It is about time someone firebombed a synagogue.”

The ex-security guard went on to post a link to a clip on the making of “The Ultimate DIY machine pistol”. Farrell ended up being held by police at his family home in Priesthill, Glasgow, following a large-scale probe into the Oaken Hearth group.

He helped get himself caught as being a member as a photo of a right-wing book he had earlier posted had his dog in the background. Farrell later stated he thought the gun video was “edgy and cool”.

The first offender was today sentenced having pled guilty at the High Court in Glasgow to a charge under the Terrorism Act.

Judge Lord Clark put Farrell under supervision for one year upon his release from prison.

He said: “You accept you were reckless and utterly indifferent to your conduct in transmitting the video WHICH would induce or provide assistance to acts of terrorism.

“You continue to have far-right views and expressed no real remorse and are assessed as having extreme risk of re-offending.

“Any replica gun would be intimidating to anyone presented with it as it is similar to the real pistol it was based on.

“You made the video available to extremists and potential terrorists.

“Terrorism is an abhorrent form of conduct which is highly endangering to our community and taking steps to encourage it must be treated seriously.”

Farrell joined Oaken Hearth on March 11 2021 via the Telegram chat app under the user name “Jabz”. Prosecutor Graeme Jessop said: “Once he was added, he made several anti-Semitic, racist and neo-Nazi comments.”

On the day he joined, Farrell posted a photo of extreme right-wing books. Also in the picture were his dog and two bronze axes.

Farrell claimed the book White Power was his “bible”. He also insisted to like “foreign cultures”. But, Mr Jessop added: “He then goes on to state ‘n*****s are different though because they are subhuman at best’.”

The group discussed terrorist killers such as Brenton Tarrant, who murdered 51 people at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand in 2019. Farrell stated at one point: “It is about time someone firebombed a synagogue.”

The group went on to talk about making firearms using 3D printers. Farrell then shared a video link titled: “The Box Tube MAC-11 – The Ultimate DIY machine pistol”.

Mr Jessop: “The video lasts 75 seconds and shows pictures of instructions on how to build a DIY sub-machine gun.

“When posting, he states: ‘Don’t build – share for the music’. The video does contain a song about a machine gun and freedom.

“This is an attempt by Farrell to try and minimise his actions.”

The footage consisted of 19 images of a document already available online. The court heard “by solely following” the instructions, a non-firing replica sub-machine pistol could be made.

Further alterations – needing “skills and firearms knowledge” – would be needed for it to discharge bullets. However, Mr Jessop told the court: “Any replica built using these instructions would be intimidating to anyone that was presented with it.

“It would have a very similar appearance to the machine pistol it is based on.”

The Oaken Hearth group was investigated by the North East Counter Terrorism Unit in England. Mr Jessop: “An undercover officer was able to become part of the group and confirmed the topics of discussion and mindset of all those within.”

Five people were arrested on May 1 2021 for terrorist and firearms offences with three being part of Oaken Hearth. The probe also resulted in a mobile phone being seized from one.

The device had chats from Oaken Hearth on it eventually leading to Farrell being identified. In October 2021, his home was then raided under the Terrorism Act.

The same dog and bronze axes spotted in the photo he posted were found in the property. The books as well as other “far right literature” and neo-Nazi flags were seized.

He later admitted to police having had bigoted views. Quizzed about the gun video, he was able to describe it and confirmed he had watched it.

Mr Jessop: “He stated he could not remember where he got it, but possibly saved it onto his phone and shared it.

“He stated that he had never attempted to make the gun described.”

Farrell went on to said the footage was an “edgy, cool video that people might appreciate on that chat”.

Prosecutors stated what Farrell did was a “direct or indirect encouragement” to the “commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism”.

His KC Tony Lenehan today said: “He has views which are no credit at all to him. There is nothing to mitigate those views and the custodial threshold has been passed.”

Daily Record

CCTV – a hooded Ryan as he returns to The Lounge

A man has been convicted of attempting to murder a member of security staff outside a venue in Braintree.

Geoffrey Ryan had been drinking in The Lounge, in Market Square, on 9 September 2022 before the incident took place.

The 53-year-old arrived at the venue at about 4pm and initially seemed content.

However, as his drinking continued, he began to cause issues with other customers.

At about 9pm, two members of security staff arrived to start their shift and Ryan soon approached them and abused them.

Soon after, at about 9.30pm, a group of women reported Ryan had been harassing them. Ryan was warned by security staff, and he continued to religiously abuse them.

When he did not stop, he then threw a drink over the victim. Ryan was then escorted out of the venue as he continued to try to assault the door staff.

Despite being told to leave, Ryan continued to abuse the security staff and, after an exchange, he approached the victim, flicked a cigarette at him and threatened to kill him.

A short time later, he left the area and appeared to be walking towards a nearby taxi rank.
‘Response within minutes’

Shortly before 11.30pm, a hooded Ryan returned to the town centre driving a Seat Ibiza and parked in a parent and baby car park in Sainsbury’s.

From there, he walked to The Lounge and immediately approached the victim and used a razor to slash the victim’s neck.

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

Thanks to that care, the victim has thankfully been able to make a recovery.

Emergency services were called to the scene and arrived within minutes. Ryan had been detained by members of the public.

He was immediately arrested, and a blade was located in a bush which he was lying beside.

Ryan, of Brick Kiln Way, Braintree, was charged with attempted murder and racially aggravated harassment.

He offered a plea to the lesser offence of grievous bodily harm with intent, but this was rejected as detectives and our Crown Prosecution Service colleagues felt there was clear intent to kill in Ryan’s actions.

He denied the charges but was found guilty after a week-long trial in Chelmsford Crown Court.

He will be sentenced at the same court on April 5.
‘No doubt that this was attempted murder’

Detective Inspector Lydia George, of our Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, led our investigation.

She said:

“It is no exaggeration to say that this incident could very easily have been a murder investigation. Ryan showed clear intent to kill; there is no doubt this was attempted murder.
“It is only thanks to the work of officers and medics at the scene that the victim’s life was saved. The wound was millimetres from being fatal.
“Ryan is clearly a dangerous individual who has now been served justice and will no doubt receive a long custodial sentence when sentenced in April.”

Essex Police