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Neo-Nazi paedophile facing more jail time over gunpowder manual

The Independent

an hour ago

The Independent

Neo-Nazi paedophile facing more jail time over gunpowder manual

A neo-Nazi paedophile who was locked up 17 years ago after being caught with a stash of nail bombs is facing more jail time after admitting having a gunpowder manual. White-supremacist Martyn Gilleard, 48, of Armley, Leeds, was jailed in 2008 for 12 years for terrorism offences and having indecent images, and was released in 2023. On Friday, he appeared at the Old Bailey and pleaded guilty to a single count of collection of material likely to be of use to a terrorist. The charge said that on or before May 28, the defendant, who also goes by the name Martyn Stone, collected information on the manufacture of explosive black powder, known as gunpowder. The grey-haired and bearded defendant entered his plea by video-link from Leeds jail. Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb set a sentencing date at Leeds Crown Court for August 22 and remanded Gilleard into custody. The former forklift truck driver Gilleard was previously found guilty of engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorist acts and collecting information for terrorist purposes having admitted having indecent images. Police found four nail bombs, bladed weapons, bullets, documents about terrorism and extreme right-wing literature when they searched his flat for indecent images of children in October 2007. Officers uncovered significant volumes of extreme right-wing literature and propaganda from far-right group Combat 18, as well as ammunition, weapons and homemade bombs. A further search by detectives and forensic teams from the Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU) in Leeds uncovered more explosive material, camouflage clothing, balaclavas, a bomb-making manual and outdoor survival guides. Humberside Police had also discovered around 39,000 indecent images of children including film and photographs. A search of his workplace found a high-visibility jacket which had been modified with a hand-drawn swastika and Combat 18 lettering, and colleagues told police that he had expressed racist views. Detectives launched a manhunt when the father of one failed to return home after the original search of his flat. He was found three days later 300 miles away in Dundee, Tayside. Gilleard was a member of a number of far-right groups, including the National Front, the British People's Party and the White Nationalist Party. In police interviews, he admitted sympathising with white supremacists and accepted he was racist, but said he had become less racist in recent times. He admitted 10 specimen counts of possessing indecent images of children, and also pleaded guilty to possessing 34 cartridges of ammunition without holding a firearms certificate. In his trial, Gilleard claimed the nail bombs were not intended for serious violence and said he made them when he was bored after drinking 'a couple of cans'. But the prosecution said he intended to use the weapons and documents found in his flat in terrorist acts to further his political cause.

CNN Panel Recoils At Conservative Guest's Comment To Friend's Undocumented Wife

Yahoo

2 hours ago

Politics
Yahoo

CNN Panel Recoils At Conservative Guest's Comment To Friend's Undocumented Wife

Right-wing radio host Ben Ferguson caught the panel on CNN's 'NewsNight' off guard on Thursday with an anecdote about what he said to the undocumented wife of one of his best friends. 'One of my best friends married an illegal immigrant,' said Ferguson, who co-hosts the 'Verdict' podcast with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas). 'We had this conversation at dinner, and I said to her, 'I'm sorry that you decided to break the law. There are a lot of Americans that break laws, and they go to jail. And there's a consequence for your actions.'' Host Abby Phillip pressed for clarification, calling it a 'very interesting anecdote' amid the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration. 'And you said to her, 'You need to be deported?'' Phillip asked. Ferguson replied: 'I said the same thing my dad said to me if I ever got arrested: 'Don't expect me to bail you out. You're accountable for your actions.'' He claimed he also told the woman, who has children with his close friend: 'I think you're an incredible human being. I love that you have this love with your family and your friends. It doesn't erase your kindness or your love, the fact that you broke the law.' When asked if he had reported the woman to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Ferguson said: 'I'm not going to call ICE on somebody.' Pressed on why not, he explained that she had actually appeared on his radio show to talk about her status. And he added: 'Because they were working through the process with lawyers while this was happening. They already had an interaction with law. They were already going through the process.' Other panelists pointed out that many of the people who have been detained by ICE agents in recent weeks are in a similar legal position. Watch here: Billionaire Reveals Why He Turned Down Kamala Harris' Running Mate Shot U.S. Soccer Star Dishes On 'Weird' Oval Office Moment With Trump Jen Psaki Uses Not 1 — But 2 — Scathing Supercuts To Undermine Trump's Latest Claim

Assisted dying bill faces crunch vote in House of Commons

The Guardian

7 hours ago

Politics
The Guardian

Assisted dying bill faces crunch vote in House of Commons

Update: Date: 2025-06-20T07:28:27.000Z Title: assisted dying bill Content: The relatively narrow majority of 55 from the historic yes vote in November means every vote will count on Friday. As an example, the would fall if 28 MPs switched directly from voting yes to no, but only if all other MPs voted exactly the same way as they did in November, including those who abstained, reports the PA news agency. MPs are entitled to have a free vote on the bill, meaning they decide according to their conscience rather than along party lines. A YouGov poll of 2,003 adults in Great Britain, surveyed last month and published on Thursday, suggested public support for the bill remains high at 73% – unchanged from November. The proportion of people who feel assisted dying should be legal in principle has risen slightly, to 75% from 73% in November. Update: Date: 2025-06-20T07:24:43.000Z Title: MPs prepare for crunch vote on assisted dying bill on Friday Content: Assisted dying could move a step closer to becoming law in England and Wales as parliament prepares for a crunch vote on the issue. The outcome on Friday could see the terminally ill adults (end of life) bill either clear the House of Commons and move to the House of Lords, or fall completely. The debate will begin at 9.30am. In what will be seen as a blow to the bill, four Labour MPs confirmed on the eve of the vote that they will switch sides to oppose the proposed new law, reports the PA news agency. Labour's Paul Foster, Jonathan Hinder, Markus Campbell-Savours and Kanishka Narayan wrote to fellow MPs to voice concerns about the safety of the proposed legislation. They called it 'drastically weakened', citing the scrapping of the high court judge safeguard as a key reason. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch also urged her MPs to vote against the legislation, describing it as 'a bad bill' despite being 'previously supportive of assisted suicide'. As it stands, the proposed legislation would allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales, with fewer than six months to live, to apply for an assisted death, subject to approval by two doctors and a panel featuring a social worker, senior legal figure and psychiatrist. Bill sponsor Kim Leadbeater has insisted the replacement of high court judge approval with the multidisciplinary panels is a strengthening of the legislation, incorporating wider expert knowledge to assess assisted dying applications. Ahead of confirmation of the four vote-switchers, Leadbeater acknowledged she expected 'some small movement in the middle' but that she did not 'anticipate that that majority would be heavily eroded'. She insisted her bill is 'the most robust piece of legislation in the world' and has argued dying people must be given choice at the end of their lives in a conversation which has seen support from high-profile figures including Esther Rantzen. Leadbeater has warned it could be a decade before assisted dying legislation returns to parliament if MPs vote to reject her bill on Friday. Meanwhile, culture secretary Lisa Nandy has been on the media rounds this morning talking about this topic and sharing her support for the bill. More on this in a moment, but first here is a summary of the latest UK politics news: Higher tax receipts were unable to prevent a rise in public sector borrowing in May to £17.7bn, up from £17bn a year earlier and the second highest for the month on record. A poll of City economists had forecast public sector net borrowing – the difference between public spending and income – would be £17.1bn. The figures will add to the concerns that the government is struggling to bring down the annual deficit to keep within strict spending rules. Thousands of European airline staff are being trained to stop people boarding flights to Britain without valid visas, in a move billed by the foreign secretary as a digital upgrade to border controls. David Lammy said the measures marked a step towards 'more secure, more digital and more effective' borders, but the move could raise questions about human rights safeguards. Cuts of £5bn to the UK overseas aid budget cannot be challenged in the courts, government lawyers have said, even though ministers have no plan to return spending to the legal commitment of 0.7 % of UK gross national income (GNI). The Labour MP Vicky Foxcroft has resigned as a whip in protest at the government's welfare plans, saying she will not be able to vote for the cuts to disability payments. Children in England face prolonged 'lost learning' caused by extreme heat and flooding at school, according to research on the potential impact of the climate crisis on education. School leaders and teachers said the scenarios published by the Department for Education made for grim reading and urged ministers to move quickly to improve school resilience.