A man from Sussex has been jailed for terrorism offences and making or possessing explosives following an investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE).
Scott Porter of St Joseph’s Way, Haywards Health pleaded guilty to the charges at the Central Criminal Court on 29 September and was sentenced yesterday (30/11) at the same court to a total of four years and three months imprisonment and a Serious Crime Prevention Order for five years. He will also be placed on an extended licence for four years.
The 43-year-old admitted to making or possessing an explosive substance in suspicious circumstances under section 4 of the Explosives Substances Act 1883 and possessing terrorist related material under section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
Two searches were carried out at properties in Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill in connection with this investigation in August last year.
Detective Chief Superintendent Kath Barnes, Head of CTPSE, said: “Porter did not have a specific ideology but the information he researched and items he designed could have been useful to someone who was planning an attack.
“Porter designed, altered and created bespoke weapons, he also researched and wrote instructions on how to use and re-create them; this is a criminal offence and comes under the Terrorism Act.
“More than 50 weapons were seized during a search of a property in Burgess Hill which included knives and crossbows.
“The sheer number of weapons found, the alterations made and the attempts to create explosives made Porter a danger to himself and others.
“His actions were reckless and following the hard work of our detectives, the weight of evidence against him left him with no choice but to plead guilty to these very serious offences.”
Detective Superintendent Justina Beeken of Sussex Police said: "We worked closely with Counter Terrorism Policing South East to support their investigation and we are confident there was no specific risk to the local community."
It is important that everyone is aware that there is lots of help and support available if the behaviour of someone you are close to has changed and you are worried they may have become radicalised in their views.
Every year thousands of reports from the public help police tackle the terrorist threat - We need the public’s help and always encourage people to report anything suspicious.
If you see or hear something that doesn’t seem right, please trust your instincts and ACT early.
Reporting won’t ruin lives, but it could save them. Action Counters Terrorism - See Gov.uk/report-terrorism
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