A British far-right activist whose racist websites inspired an American teen to murder ten people in a mass shooting has been jailed.
Colin McNeil, 46, who pleaded guilty to four offences of disseminating a terrorist publication, was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment today.
Sheffield Crown Court heard how his two websites glorified Nazis while also featuring racist documents, images and videos.
The sites further honoured mass murderers, including Brenton Tarrant, who killed 51 people around two mosques in Christchurch New Zealand in 2019.
Prosecutors added that one person inspired by them was Payton Gendron, now 20, who murdered ten people in a mass shooting at a grocery shop in Buffalo, USA, in 2022.
Evidence submitted to the court revealed Gendron’s engagement with the websites through likes and comments on racist material hosted on them.
McNeil benefited financially from the websites, receiving donations from users, while also expressing his own racist views on them.
One of the sites, which operated like a typical social media platform, had 5,716 members, with 255,960 photos and 6,499 videos uploaded.
The other site, set up for videos, hosted 12,345 members and contained 79,284 videos.
This site also had an option to upgrade to a ‘pro’ member for $50, which would allow the user to post ad-free videos, sell videos, and to live stream.
McNeil, from Leeds, West Yorkshire, was first arrested on March 23, 2022, following an investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing North East.
And today, he received an 11-year extended sentence, comprising seven years in jail and four years on licence.
He will also be subject to a terrorist notification order for 30 years.
Bethan David, head of the CPS Counter Terrorism Division, said: ‘Colin McNeil allowed his websites to operate as propaganda platforms for far-right terrorist material.
‘He profited from the sites in the form of donations from users, and it is clear that others were inspired by the hateful and racist material they were able to access online – including those from overseas.
‘McNeil’s actions were quite deliberate; he knew full well that there was a risk that terrorism would be encouraged and yet he permitted access to such material anyway.
‘The CPS will always seek to prosecute those who encourage terrorism when our legal test is met.’
Head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East, Detective Chief Superintendent James Dunkerley said his team would ‘seek out’ those involved in similar pratices.
He added: ‘There is simply no place for racism in our society. We will continue to seek out those that facilitate and distribute these harmful ideologies.
‘I would urge the public to report any concerning online material that they come across to the national Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit (CTIRU) hosted by Counter Terrorism Policing.’