A teenage boy, described as having antisemitic and white supremacist views, has been sentenced to three and a half years in detention after amassing a collection of weapons and claiming affiliation with a neo-Nazi group.
The 16-year-old, whose identity is protected by legal restrictions despite media efforts to disclose his name, was found guilty last month of distributing terrorist material and falsely asserting membership in an outlawed far-right organization.
Although the jury could not reach a consensus on whether he was plotting an attack on synagogues in Newcastle, the prosecution has opted not to pursue a retrial on this allegation.
Arrested while still in his school uniform in February of last year, the teenager claimed ties to the neo-Nazi group, The Base. He actively engaged in promoting the group by putting up stickers, creating promotional content, and encouraging others to join its ranks.
During the trial, it was revealed that police discovered a cache of weapons at his residence in Northumberland, where he lived with his father. The arsenal included a crossbow and several knives.
The boy’s trial heard how police found an ‘arsenal’ of weapons, including a crossbow and knives at his home he shared with his father, in Northumberland.
Jurors were shown images of the boy’s bedroom which had an air rifle hanging on the wall and an air shotgun with the words ‘natural selection’ and ‘George Floyd’ scrawled on the barrel, in reference to the black man murdered by a white police officer in Minneapolis in 2020.
Police also found a replica of an SS officer’s cap, a flag of Rhodesia, two military tactical vests, military helmets and two skull masks.
The 16-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is said to have been filled with ‘hate and racism’ and joined a banned neo-Nazi group which encouraged its followers to ignite a race war
In his room, five knives, two military tactical vests, military helmets, two skull masks, a German military jacket and a Nazi SS officer’s cap were found
Jurors were also read online exchanges with members of white supremacist groups and violent journal entries.
Officers found 4.8TB of messages and files, the equivalent of 1.2 million songs, and a total of 253,005 messages. He was part of 25 extreme right-wing chat groups.
The teenager watched a video of the New Zealand mosque terror attack then looked up synagogues in the Newcastle area, the court heard.
He also made racist and offensive references in his journal.
In one entry, written on January 30 2023 when he was aged 13, the boy wrote: ‘I swear to God I hate my f**king school.
‘I want to do horrible things to the people in my school. They are just stupid, loud and just overall obnoxious npcs [non-playing characters]. Some of them should be shot.’
He went on to list a ‘Mass Murder Ranking’ topped by Anders Breivik who killed 77 people in Norway, writing: ‘Ultimately he is the best he killed the most amount of people to get his point across to people in the world.’
In another entry he wrote: ‘In other terms I’m angry because I know that I will never have a girlfriend.’
Pictured: The Nazi SS officer’s cap that was found in the room and shown to the court
The bedroom in the home in Northumberland of a 16-year-old boy accused of plotting a terror attack on local synagogues
The 16-year-old was arrested in February last year at the cottage he shared with his father in Northumberland while wearing his school uniform, Leeds Crown Court was told. Pictured: A spent cartridge containing white powder found in the home
The teenager told the jury that he did not believe what he wrote but that writing brought him peace.
Mr Justice Wall, sentencing, said he rejected that claim, saying the teenager genuinely held extremist, antisemitic views.
The judge did accept that the build-up to the offending began when the boy was just 14, with most of them happening when he was 15.
He experienced a difficult childhood, suffered from bullying, was isolated and struggled with friendships.
Since his arrest, he has been diagnosed with autism.
The judge said the teenager must spend another 15 months in detention, having already been in custody since his arrest.
The teenager will then be supervised and monitored in the community for another 26 months.
The judge told the boy, who attended court via a video link: ‘You will have to do what you are told by the people who are supervising you and it will be their job to help you come to terms with what you have done and to stay out of trouble in the future.’
The teenager, who was 15 at the time, was arrested as part of an operation by Counter Terrorism Policing North East, supported by Northumbria Police in 2025
The judge added that the teenager had an ‘unhealthy interest in weapons, wars and paramilitary items and this obsession led you to exploring the darker world of extreme right-wing organisations’.
His use of computers and the internet will also be restricted.
Frida Hussain KC, defending, said the boy was ‘desperately lonely’, had been ‘plagued’ with thoughts of killing himself and created an online persona as a distraction.
The judge rejected a media application to name the boy to make it easier for him to be rehabilitated.
He was convicted of purporting to be a member of a proscribed organisation, and four counts relating to possessing or sharing terror documents.
Detective Chief Superintendent James Dunkerley, Head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East, said: ‘We welcome the sentence handed down today and hope it acts as a warning to all about the dangers of extreme online content which can have real life consequences.
‘If you are worried about someone you know expressing extreme views or hatred, then please trust your instincts and act early (a reference to a counter terrorism initiative) to prevent people becoming involved in terrorism. I cannot stress that enough and you will not be wasting our time.’
Chief Superintendent Kevin Waring, area commander for Northumberland, said: ‘This case highlights the dangers which exist online and the type of material young people can access.
‘It is a reminder that we all need to be vigilant and if you do become worried about someone you know, see or hear something concerning then please come forward.’
