Neo-Nazi podcasters sentenced for inciting terrorism against Jews, Prince Harry

Two men, 40-year-old Christopher Gibbons and 36-year-old Tyrone Patten-Walsh were both jailed following an investigation by London’s Metropolitan Police, the police announced on Thursday The pair had been investigated by the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command after their podcast was found to encourage listeners to commit violent acts against Jews and other ethnic minorities. 

Both men had been charged in 2021 for several terrorism offenses, of which they have now been convicted of all charges.

The neo-Nazi pair had aired homophobic, racist, antisemitic, Islamophobic, and misogynistic in 21 episodes of their podcast, it was stated. Gibbons had also collected and published an online library containing extremist right-wing texts. The library was said to contain “500 videos of extreme right-wing-related speeches and propaganda documents.”

The podcasters had originally drawn public attention for calling for Prince Harry and his son to be killed, for having an interracial relationship with Megan Markle, the New York Times reported.

“They are dedicated and unapologetic white supremacists,” the prosecutor Anne Whyte said in court at their trial, according to media reports. “They thought that if they used the format of a radio show, as good as in plain sight, they could pass off their venture as the legitimate exercise of their freedom of speech.”

While the impact of the podcast can not be truly known, police said that it had amassed 1,000 subscribers and the content had been viewed more than 152,000 times.

How was justice served?

Gibbons was sentenced to eight years imprisonment “for eight counts of encouraging acts of terrorism, contrary to section one of the Terrorism Act 2006, and two counts of dissemination of terrorist publications, contrary to section two of the Terrorism Act 2006,” it was announced. Patten-Walsh was sentenced to seven years in prison for eight counts of encouraging acts of terrorism.

Commander Dominic Murphy, who leads the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “The material that Gibbons and Patten-Walsh shared is exactly the kind that has the potential to draw vulnerable people – particularly young people – into terrorism.

“We are determined to identify and hold to account individuals pushing this material. In this case, officers reviewed hours-upon-hours of material to present a compelling case.

“I hope this case and today’s sentencing sends a clear message that there are serious consequences for those who share terrorist material or encourage others to become involved in terrorism.”