Archive

Tag Archives: Keighley

Four people, who advocated racist violence and the manufacture and possession of weapons, have been jailed for a combined total of over 30 years, following a trial at Sheffield Crown Court.

Mr Justice Spencer jailed Daniel Wright, Liam Hall, Stacey Salmon and Samuel Whibley for a combined total of 31 years during a sentencing hearing held Sheffield Crown Court on Thursday, June 23, after jurors found them guilty of a combined total of 18 offences following an 11-week trial at the court.

The jury heard how the defendants, whose offending was exposed by an undercover officer, came together in a private online chat group to share extreme right-wing views and propaganda, influence and indoctrinate others and endorse the use of violence to further their cause.

Officers from Counter Terrorism Policing North East arrested the group in May last year, and a spokesperson for the policing team described how ‘a partially constructed 3D printed firearm was recovered from the home of Hall and Salmon in Keighley, West Yorkshire.

Liam Hall, Stacey Salmon, Daniel Wright and Samuel Whibley were jailed for a combined total of 31 years, during a sentencing hearing held at Sheffield Crown Court on Thursday, June 23

The spokesperson added: “Examination by a specialist confirmed that despite being incomplete, the weapon could have proved lethal if fully assembled. Other weapons were also recovered from the homes of the defendants, in addition to chemicals, practical guides for making explosives and extreme right-wing texts and videos.”

The four defendants were jailed for a combined total of 31 years, with Wright, 30, of Whinfield Avenue, Keighley, West Yorkshire, given a 12-year custodial sentence and upon release will be subject to a Serious Crime Prevention Order and a 30-year Part 4 Notification Order. He was found guilty of seven offences including manufacturing a firearm.

Hall, 31, of Hill Top Walk, Keighley, West Yorkshire, was found guilty of an offence of manufacturing a firearm and possessing a firearm and was sentenced to a 6-year custodial sentence. He will also be subject to a Serious Crime Prevention Order upon release.

Salmon, 31, of Hill Top Walk, Keighley, West Yorkshire, was found guilty of an offence of possessing a firearm and was sentenced to a three-year custodial sentence.

Samuel Whibley, 30, of Derwen Deg, Menai Bridge, Isle of Anglesey, was found guilty of eight terrorism offences including the encouragement of terrorism and the dissemination of a terrorist publication encouraging terrorism. He was sentenced to a 10-year custodial sentence and upon release will be subject to a Serious Crime Prevention Order and a 30-year Part 4 Notification Order.

Speaking after the sentencing, Temporary Detective Chief Superintendent Peter Craig, the Head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East, said: “Today’s outcome highlights the seriousness of the offences committed by these individuals and the verdict reached by the Jury in March.

“We work tirelessly to identify individuals who have an extremist mindset and threaten the safety and unity of our diverse communities.

“Anyone found to be engaging in terrorist activity, or violent extremism in any form, can expect to be identified and put before the courts.”

If anyone sees or hears something that doesn’t seem right, online or in the real word, they are encouraged to trust their instincts and ACT by reporting it to police in confidence at gov.uk/ACT. In an emergency, always dial 999.

Sheffield Star

 Michael Vickers, who has been locked up for 27 months

Michael Vickers, who has been locked up for 27 months


A KEIGHLEY man has been jailed for more than two years for a catalogue of offending, including ramming a car off the road and using someone else’s passport to travel to Spain.

Michael John Vickers, 35, of Shann Crescent, Keighley, was jailed for 27 months for 15 separate offences, which also included spitting in a police officer’s face and a racially aggravated public order offence.

Bradford Crown Court was told the offences relate to an ongoing feud between Vickers’ family and another family in the town.

The first offence to take place was on January 9, 2017, prosecutor David Hall explained.

He said Vickers used racist language towards two Asian men, before punches were exchanged, initiated by Vickers’ son.

Shortly after Vickers and his son got out of their car and continued to be aggressive, punching and kicking the men.

The next offending was three counts of breaching a non-molestation order while at prison on May 19 and June 14, when he sent letters and an abusive Snapchat message to his former partner.

On July 31, 2017, he failed to surrender to custody at Leeds Magistrates Court and was convicted in his absence.

He breached the non-molestation order again on August 4, 2017, when police had to be called to arrest him when he was found hiding in the loft at his former partner’s house.

He resisted arrest and also assaulted a police officer by spitting in his face, and was “argumentative and difficult after being arrested”, said Mr Hall.

On December 9 last year, while driving along Oakworth Road, Keighley, Vickers rammed another vehicle off the road.

He was driving towards a Nissan Micra in his Mitsubishi L200 pick-up truck, causing the car to swerve out of the way. He then turned his truck round and chased the car, ramming it from behind, damaging the car and causing the three passengers minor injuries.

He also admitted sending threatening Snapchat messages to a man who was due to give evidence in a court case, and affray, where he along with three other men drove to another man’s house, before getting out, pointing a stick towards the man in his seventh floor flat, and making a throat-cutting gesture.

On May 8 of this year, he was arrested at Leeds Bradford Airport after flying home from Alicante using a friend’s passport.

Julian White, mitigating, said the offending was due to an ongoing feud between families, and many of the offences were due to frustration from Vickers at the situation.

He said Vickers fled to Alicante in an attempt to lay low to stop the feud, “but realised it was pointless and came back”.

In sentencing, the Recorder of Bradford Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC said Vickers had “been appearing at court with depressing regularity”.

He said: “The racially aggravated abuse troubles me, what happened was out of order.

“You used your car as a weapon which is clearly dangerous driving. This court does not approve of feuds.”

Vickers was jailed for six months for the racial incident, one month per non-molestation order breach and six months for affray to be served concurrently.

He also received one month for assaulting a police officer, 12 months for dangerous driving, three months for perverting the course of justice, and five months for using false travel documents to be served consecutively, and no further penalties for failing to surrender and criminal damage.

Telegraph and Argus