Following an investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE), Charles Cannon from Highfield Avenue, Aldershot was sentenced at Winchester Crown Court to 18 months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years.
Officers walking through an airport.
The 22-year-old was found to have a number of documents and images on his laptop and phone after he was stopped at Luton Airport on 21 August 2020.
Head of CTPSE, Detective Chief Superintendent Olly Wright:
“It is important to recognise that having downloaded and been in possession of documents of this nature, regardless of which extreme ideology, a terrorism crime has been committed. Ignorance of this fact is not an excuse.
“It was found by a jury that Cannon read and downloaded some of these documents which contained extreme right-wing content, as determined by experts.”
Following a trial in November, he was convicted of seven counts of possession of documents containing 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 content found in Cannon’s possession included homemade explosive manuals.
DCS Wright continued:
“His mindset was also clear from his own words online suggesting he had an interest in Nazism which was compounded by Nazi memorabilia found in his possession.
“Cannon became obsessed with the subject matter and had the information got into the wrong hands, it could have been useful to someone with terrorist intent.
“I am thankful for the hard work of the unit which has secured this conviction and led to this sentence today.”
Radicalisation is the process by which a person comes to support terrorism and extremist ideologies. If you are worried someone close to you is becoming radicalised act early and seek help.
Friends and family are best placed to spot the signs, so trust your instincts and share your concerns in confidence.
You won’t be wasting police time and you won’t ruin lives, but you might save them.
To find out more about how to help someone close to you visit actearly.uk