Man pleads guilty to terrorist offence

A man from Brighton has pleaded guilty to preparing acts of terrorism.

Edward Little was arrested by officers from Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE) in September.

The 21-year-old admitted to planning an attack linked to Islamist terrorism, at Hyde Park in London.

He is due to be sentenced at the Central Criminal Court on Friday 21 July.

At a previous hearing at Westminster Magistrates court, in September, Little also pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer during an interview and was sentenced to 40 weeks imprisonment. The sentence was reduced to eight months on appeal.

Detective Chief Superintendent Olly Wright, Head of CTPSE said: “This was a fast-moving investigation which our team responded to quickly. This enabled us to stop Little in his tracks, before he could carry out his plans.

“Little’s guilty plea is a reflection of the strength of evidence our team was able to build and is a real example of why the Counter Terrorism Policing network exists."

Sussex Police Chief Superintendent Justin Burtenshaw, Divisional Commander for Brighton and Hove, said: “We understand incidents such as this occurring locally can be concerning, but please be assured that a full investigation has taken place and there is no wider risk to the public.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank everybody who supported this investigation and helped to achieve this conviction.”

Image: @LondonNPC #NationalParkCity, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons