Teen created 'library' of extreme right-wing material

A teenager created an online "library" of extreme right-wing material encouraging violent attacks on racial groups, a jury has found.

Between the ages of 16 and 17, Joseph Cope, now 20, used social media to encourage terrorism - including publishing hundreds of right-wing documents, the Old Bailey heard.

He was arrested at his home in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire in June 2022 and was charged with three counts of encouraging terrorism, one of dissemination of terrorist publications on Telegram and one single specimen count of possessing information useful to a terrorist.

Despite being unfit for trial, a jury found he did the acts alleged against him after deliberating for just over an hour.

The court heard how Cope had been publishing posts and images on a Telegram channel called Serano's Division.

Among the posts was a link to a channel called the Great Library of Thule, which was said to contain hundreds of extreme right-wing documents uploaded by Cope.

Prosecutor Dan Pawson-Pounds told jurors that the material included documents explaining how to cause mass public disorder and inciting violence against racial groups.

He said that by creating the link to the channel, Cope was effectively "providing a service to others to access those documents".

Pawson-Pounds said hundreds of similar documents were found on Cope's computer which were likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.

The extremist material was uncovered following Cope's arrest when police searched his bedroom and seized a number of extreme far-right books and a black snood with a skeletal jaw depicted on it, associated with the extreme right-wing.

Cope was said to have largely declined to comment during police interviews.

Jurors were told since the alleged offences between September 2021 and June 2022, Cope's mental health had deteriorated and he was deemed unfit to stand trial.

The jury found he did the acts alleged against him and Judge Mark Lucraft KC set a disposal hearing for 17 April to decide on the appropriate supervision order.

Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.