Nottingham teenager sentenced for terrorism offences

A 17-year-old from Nottingham has been sentenced to a twelve-month, High Intensity Referral Order by Nottingham Youth Court after pleading guilty to terrorism offences.

In October, the boy pleaded guilty to one offence under Section 1 of the Terrorism Act 2006 (Direct/indirect encouragement of terrorism to others to the commission, preparation, or instigation of acts of terrorism); and three offences under Section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000 (Possession of material containing information likely to be useful to a person committing an act of terrorism).

The teenager was arrested in March 2023 as part of a pre-planned, intelligence-led investigation into suspected extreme right-wing social media posts, by Counter Terrorism Policing North East.

The investigation found that he had created and participated in Telegram groups where he encouraged white supremacist views and shared terrorist material.

The head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East, Detective Chief Superintendent James Dunkerley said: “It is important that family, friends and organisations are aware of the risks that young people face online, including recognising when someone is being drawn into extremism, and knowing where to turn for help and support.”

“Sharing extremist material and encouraging terrorism online are serious offences that can have far reaching consequences in the real world.”

Image by Dariusz Sankowski from Pixabay