South Shields Man Jailed Over Terror Materials and Hate Posts
A 32-year-old man from South Shields has been locked up for over ten years after pleading guilty to terror-related offences. John Raymond Nimmo, of Osborne Avenue, was sentenced to 10 years and 2 months in prison on Friday, May 21.
Terror Charges and Hate Crime Convictions
Nimmo admitted to multiple charges including possession of documents useful for terrorism, publishing and distributing terrorist material, encouraging terrorism, and spreading racial and religious hatred. He also breached a Criminal Behaviour Order imposed after a previous conviction.
- Possession of terrorist documents (Terrorism Act 2000)
- Publishing terrorist publications (Terrorism Act 2006)
- Encouraging terrorism (Terrorism Act 2006)
- Distributing material to stir up racial hatred (Public Order Act 1986)
- Distributing material to stir up religious hatred (Public Order Act 1986)
- Breach of Criminal Behaviour Order (Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2014)
Police Crack Down After Online Extremism Investigation
Nimmo was first arrested in August 2019 during an intelligence-led probe into right-wing terrorism online, charged in December 2019, and pleaded guilty in May 2020. A separate investigation by Northumbria Police also found him guilty of possessing a prohibited firearm in October 2020.
Counter Terrorism Officers were tipped off by Nimmo’s shocking posts on social media. Digital detectives discovered he had shared terrorist publications and violated his previous court order, leading to his hefty jail term.
Top Cop Warns On Danger of Online Extremism
“Offences committed online have as significant an impact as those committed on our streets,” said Detective Chief Superintendent Martin Snowden, head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East. “There is no place for content that seeks to cause hate, distress and division amongst our communities. We cannot underestimate the influence extreme content such as that posted and shared in this case could have on vulnerable people being radicalised.” “Nimmo shared material that could be used to cause serious harm and violence. We work closely with local forces to arrest and bring extremist offenders to justice.” “If you spot any suspicious posts or websites, report them at www.gov.uk/ACT. Reporting won’t ruin lives but could save them.”
In an emergency, always dial 999.
