A 49-year-old man from Leeds has received a custodial sentence of three years and nine months for possessing a handwritten recipe for gun powder.
Martyn Paul Gilleard (15/07/76), from Town Street in Armley, appeared at Leeds Crown Court for sentencing today, Monday, October 20, 2025. He was further sentenced to four years on extended licence and will also be subject to a Serious Crime Prevention Order for five years and terrorism notification requirements for ten years.
Martyn Paul Gilleard
Gilleard admitted one charge of possessing information of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, contrary to Section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000. The document was recovered from his home address during an intelligence led search by West Yorkshire Police on May 28, 2025, and passed to Counter Terrorism Policing North East for further investigation.
Gilleard has been remanded in custody since his arrest, entering a guilty plea at the Central Criminal Court on June 20.
Detective Chief Superintendent James Dunkerley is the Head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East. He said: “Officers were concerned to discover a handwritten recipe for black powder during a search at Gilleard’s home in May; a recipe later verified by experts as potentially viable.
“Possessing information about the manufacture of explosives will always raise serious questions. Gilleard has chosen not to explain or defend the presence of the recipe in his home, instead pleading guilty to possessing information useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.”
Action Counters Terrorism. If you’ve seen or heard something that doesn’t seem right, trust your instincts and report to police in confidence at gov.uk/ACT.