A Nazi sympathiser who built a submachine gun in his garage after becoming obsessed with the New Zealand mosque killer has been jailed for seven years. Ben Styles, 25, made the lethal makeshift firearm at his home and kept terrorism manuals in "preparation for a religious war".
A court heard he also dubbed the Holocaust the Holohoax in an online group called '#Kill All the Jews' adding: “I hope the holocaust is real next time.” Styles, who has a B-tec in Engineering, was arrested when police raided his house in leafy Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, on April 2021.
Officers recovered parts of a homemade gun, gunmaking tools, manuals on how to convert blank bullets into live ammunition and a Nazi fitness manual. He admitted making weapons and ammunition and collecting terrorism material at Birmingham Crown Court and was jailed on Friday.
He was earlier acquitted of engaging in conduct in preparation for a terrorist act, contrary to section 5(1) of the Terrorism Act 2006. During his trial, jurors were told how Styles visited New Zealand shortly before 51 died in the 2019 Christchurch mosque attack.
Messages on his return read: "It made me super racist. Then that happened and I had a good day."
Styles was "fascinated" by killer Brenton Tarrant and collected his manifesto and a video he made of the massacre, which also left 40 injured. He had also acquired various tools, including a lathe and a drill press, and was making a gun at the time detectives arrested him and searched his home.
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Officers also uncovered a book entitled 'The SS family yearly - celebrations of the SS family'. He told a friend he was “just getting as strong as possible for the war” and sent a picture of his phone lock screen which had images of swastikas on it.
At an earlier hearing Styles admitted three counts of collecting information contrary to section 58 Terrorism Act 2006 (right wing material and instructional firearms documents) and one count of possessing a prohibited weapon contrary to section 5(1a) Firearms Act 1968. He was sentenced to five years for possessing the prohibited weapon and two years for possessing terrorism material.
Detective Superintendent Anastasia Miller, from Counter Terrorism Policing West Midlands said: “Styles was making a submachine gun and ammunition, he also knowingly downloaded and possessed extremely distressing and disturbing imagery. We will continue to protect local communities by working with partners and the CPS to pursue and prosecute all those who show support for terrorism. We work tirelessly to counter terrorism. Our absolute priority is to ensure the safety and security of the people who live, work and visit the West Midlands area."
Assistant Chief Constable David Gardner, counter terrorism lead for Warwickshire Police, said: “The evidence in this case was extremely concerning and clearly demonstrated Styles has an obsession with far right wing ideologies. It is vital we all remain vigilant and people report any concerns they have to police."
