Police detention officer convicted of terror offence

A police detention officer from Huddersfield has been convicted of a terror offence after pleading guilty to publishing an image of two flags “in such a way or in such circumstances as to arouse reasonable suspicion that you were a member or supporter of” the banned loyalist Ulster Defence Association (UDA) terror group.

William Lloyd-Hughes was based at Huddersfield Police Station as a civilian member of staff. Counter Terrorism Policing North East carried out an investigation directed by the Independent Office for Policing Conduct, after a referral from the West Yorkshire force.

Lloyd-Hughes also pleaded guilty at Westminster Magistrates’ Court to a charge of sharing grossly offensive messages on Twitter under the Communications Act 2003.

Following his guilty pleas, two other charges of sending grossly offensive messages on Twitter were withdrawn by prosecutors.

He will be sentenced of 19 April.

Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring said: “As you have pleaded guilty to the two charges, the other two have been withdrawn, in due course you will get full credit for those guilty pleas.

“I need a pre-sentencing report because I know almost nothing about you, about your mindset, about your lifestyle and all the things that might be relevant.

“I’m going to release you on unconditional bail.”

GrimsbyT, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons