Man guilty over nail bombs plot

A Nazi sympathiser who kept nail bombs under his bed has been convicted of three terrorism offences.

Martyn Gilleard, 31, of Goole, East Yorkshire, kept four home-made nail bombs, as well as bullets, swords, axes and knives in his flat.

Gilleard had written that he wanted to "save" Britain from "multi-racial peril", Leeds Crown Court heard.

He also admitted child pornography offences after thousands of indecent images were found on his computer.

Gilleard was convicted of preparing for terrorist acts and possessing articles and collecting information for terrorist purposes.

"Martyn Gilleard is a terrorist as the court has demonstrated today in its verdict"
Detective Chief Superintendent John Parkinson

Neo Nazi had child abuse images

During the trial, he admitted having a collection of Nazi memorabilia, saying Nazism appealed to him because of the way the Nazis had "rebuilt" Germany.

Officers had found "potentially lethal bladed weapons", 34 bullets and printouts from the internet about committing acts of terrorism, the court heard.

These included instructions on how to make a bomb and how to kill someone with poison.

Police found an array of weapons including swords

In pictures: An arsenal of hate

Explaining why he made the bombs, Gilleard said: "I'd had a couple of cans. I was just sat around bored."

"An idea popped up and I thought, 'Why not?' I thought, 'I've got pretty much what I need,' and I threw them together."

Detective Chief Superintendent John Parkinson said: "Martyn Gilleard is a terrorist as the court has demonstrated today in its verdict."

Officers also found about 39,000 indecent images of children, ranging from category one to five - where one is the least serious and five the most.

Gilleard admitted 10 specimen counts of possession of indecent photographs of children on the first day of his trial for the terrorism offences.

Det Ch Supt Parkinson said Gilleard was "an extremely dangerous individual" and added that his behaviour had been "very bizarre".

He added: "We will never know what was in the mind of Martyn Gilleard."

But he said Gilleard had been "clearly intent" on putting his racist views "into action".

Det Ch Supt Parkinson added: "Literature found at his home exposed Gilleard's anti-semitic views, his cultural and racial intolerance and his hatred for religion. They also demonstrated his readiness to use threats and intimidation to further his cause."