Derbyshire teenager found guilty of terrorism offences

A Derbyshire teenager has been found guilty of six terrorism offences after uploading extreme right-wing videos to the internet.

Daniel Harris was arrested earlier this year following an investigation by specialist officers from the Counter Terror Policing East Midlands team and was subsequently charged with seven terrorism offences.

Today (30 November), following a trial at Manchester Crown Court, Harris, of Lord Street in Glossop, was found guilty of six offences.

The jury found the 19-year-old guilty of five counts of encouraging terrorism (contrary to Section 1 of the Terrorism Act 2006) relating to his creation and uploading of material to the internet between February 2021 and March 2022.

They also found him guilty of one count of possession of material for terrorist purposes (contrary to Section 57 of the Terrorism Act 2000) which related to the possession of a 3D printer, which he had tried to use to make parts of a firearm.

He was found not guilty of a single count of encouraging terrorism.

Harris was remanded in custody until 16 January 2023, when he is due to be sentenced at the same court.

CTP EM Detective Inspector Chris Brett said: “Due to his age and previous offending, we initially attempted to engage with Harris through the Prevent programme, but it soon became clear he was pretending to be deradicalized whilst encouraging terrorism online.  The threat he caused meant we had to act in order to ensure the safety of the wider public.

“I’d like to thank our team of dedicated and skilled colleagues involved in this complex investigation into an individual who, in the videos that he produced, clearly demonstrated a distain for law enforcement and public order, as well as an admiration for those who had committed atrocities in terrorist attacks overseas.

"By posting these videos online, Harris’ toxic rhetoric could have had untold influence on countless people across the world. Such actions will not be tolerated.

“In a search of Harris’ house, the rather chilling discovery of attempts to make component parts of a firearm printed from his 3D printer, showed a clear intent to create a deadly weapon.”