Man sentenced for terrorism offences

A 23-year-old man has been given a seven-year custodial sentence at Preston Crown Court, for committing seven terrorism offences.

In July, Kurt McGowan pleaded guilty to seven terrorism offences. He pleaded guilty to four offences of collecting information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism and three offences of disseminating terrorist publications.

McGowan was arrested in March 2021 by Counter Terrorism Policing North-East.

An undercover investigation infiltrated him spreading extreme right wing material on online chat groups. McGowan's digital devices were seized and reviewed by officers and found to contain instructional documents for firearms and explosives - some of which had been disseminated online.

Detective Chief Superintendent James Dunkerley, head of Counter Terrorism Policing North-East, said: “This is another example of how advanced covert policing tactics can detect, disrupt and lead to the successful prosecution of those encouraging terrorism, in order to keep our communities safe.”

“Tackling the possession and dissemination of extremist material is an essential part of protecting the public and preventing offences that incite or encourage acts of terrorism”.

Image by Juraj Varga from Pixabay