Sussex Neo Nazi Tobias Powell jailed over racist hate

Tobias Powell supported a far-right terrorist group from his home in Sussex.

The unemployed 32-year-old admitted four counts of using threatening, abusive, or insulting words or behaviour intending to incite racial hatred.

In his social media posts he called for civil war to stop the “ethnic suicide of white people” and boasted about “white power”.

He shared a picture of his Nazi tattoo and shared an image of his dog who he claimed he was training to do a Nazi salute.

At Portsmouth Crown Court he was jailed for three years.

Powell, of Wythering Close, Selsey, had “toxic” views, the court heard.

In July 2018 he showed his support for the murder of MP Joanne Cox, labelling her a “traitor” and “enemy of the people”.

Ms Cox, a Labour Party politician, was stabbed and shot to death in her Yorkshire constituency in June 2016.

Powell also wrote an email to the then Prime Minister Theresa May, calling her a “snake” in a message titled “Brexit stitch up” and wrote a letter to MP Nick Gibbs to share his concerns over Sharia Law.

His Apple user I.D was in the name of Adolf Hitler, and searches showed he possessed literature about his vile racist ideas.

Adolf Hitler.

Detective Chief Superintendent Kath Barnes QPM said: “Powell clearly had toxic views. While this was not prosecuted as a terrorism case, the rhetoric shared on social media meant that it was appropriate for specialist officers from Counter Terrorism Policing to carry out the investigation.

“We are aware of a very fine line between hate speech and terrorism, but I must be clear, showing your support for a terrorist organisation is not acceptable.

“All the material found as a result of this investigation revealed Powell had a concerning mindset and, as we heard, he even used his dog to try and perpetuate his support for Nazi organisations.”

Selsey Neo Nazi Tobias Powell has been jailed for inciting racist hatred

The head of counter terrorism policing in the south east said the force is committed to tackling “all forms of toxic ideology”.

DCI Barnes added: “Groups that do not meet the threshold for proscription are not free to spread hatred, fund terrorist activity or incite violence as they please.

“Ideology which has the potential to threaten public safety and security will not be tolerated and we will look to prosecute those who are involved in such activity."

Chief Inspector Jon Carter, Arun and Chichester District Commander for Sussex Police, said: “This case shows the importance of thorough investigation of any use of the Internet to spread hate and dangerous material.

“The public can be reassured that there are systems in place to follow up all such reports, but it is also important to reassure local people that this was a very isolated matter for this area, and that however obnoxious Powell’s language was, there was no reference to or threat to the local community.”