Neo-Nazi podcast hosts who focused Harry and Meghan’s son Archie convicted of terror offences

The hosts of a neo-Nazi podcast who launched an assault on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s son Archie have been convicted of terrorism offences.

Christopher Gibbons, 38, and Tyrone Patten-Walsh, 34, each face jail after being discovered responsible of encouraging acts of terrorism on Friday, following a trial at Kingston Crown Court.

Gibbons described Archie as an “abomination that should be put down” within the podcast, which the pair used to voice their hatred of blended race marriages.

He referred to as for Prince Harry to be “prosecuted” and “judicially killed for treason”, jurors heard.

The pair additionally endorsed the homicide of Labour MP Jo Cox in 2016 and hailed Brenton Tarrant’s 2019 shooting spree in Christchurch, New Zealand, which claimed the lives of 51 folks at two mosques throughout Friday prayers.

They additionally made vile remarks about victims of the Manchester Arena bombing.

Both males aired homophobic, racist, antisemitic, Islamaphobic and misogynistic opinions – on some events encouraging their listeners to commit violence.

Gibbons additionally created a “Radicalisation Library” containing tons of of utmost right-wing texts and materials – together with greater than 500 excessive right-wing associated speeches and propaganda paperwork.

He uploaded movies to the library between March 2019 and February 2020, the court docket heard.

Gibbon and Patten-Walsh produced 21 episodes for his or her podcast, which had nearly 1,000 subscribers with its content material considered greater than 152,000 occasions.

An investigation by the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command discovered a number of the content material breached terrorism laws, resulting in the pair being arrested in May 2021 and charged on 16 August in the identical yr.

They had been each tried for eight counts of encouraging acts of terrorism, every regarding a separate podcast episode.

Gibbons was additionally tried for 2 counts of dissemination of terrorist publications.

Both males denied and had been convicted of all the costs towards them.

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‘Dedicated and unapologetic white supremacists’

During the trial, prosecutor Anne Whyte QC mentioned of the defendants: “(They) are men who hold extreme right-wing views. They are dedicated and unapologetic white supremacists.

“They thought that in the event that they used the format of a radio present, pretty much as good as in plain sight, they might cross off their enterprise because the legit train of their freedom of speech.

“In fact what they were doing was using language designed to encourage others to commit acts of extreme right wing terrorism against the sections of society that these defendants hated.”

Gibbons, of Carshalton, south London, and Patten-Walsh, of Romford, Essex, have been remanded in custody to be sentenced on the court docket on 26 September.

Read extra:
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Why boy, 14, joined the far-right – and how he escaped

Speaking after the sentence was handed, Commander Dominic Murphy mentioned: “Gibbons and Patten-Walsh thought that the fact they were airing their hateful views and advocating terrorist acts in plain sight, on a radio and podcast platform, somehow gave them some legitimacy and meant they wouldn’t face any consequences.

“They had been improper, and each our investigation and a jury has discovered that they sought to encourage terrorism in how they expressed their abhorrent excessive right-wing views.

“During the course of the investigation, detectives reviewed hundreds of hours of material, and the result of their work was the compelling case that was presented at court which has resulted in their convictions.”

Commander Murphy urged anybody who spots extremist content material on-line to report it to the police, including: “Information from the public is vitally important in our fight against terrorism.”