Kettering man sentenced for terrorist offence after racist Black Lives Matter tweets led police to extreme right-wing messages and Nazi memorabilia

A Kettering man was caught with ‘extreme’ right-wing communications and Nazi memorabilia after police were alerted to racist Twitter posts.

Matthew Patterson, of Mill Road, was handed an 11-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, after pleading guilty to one charge of collecting information for terrorist purposes.

Patterson entered a guilty plea just ahead of his trial in December at Leicester Crown Court where he was sentenced yesterday (March 9).

The court was told officers from Counter Terrorism Policing in the East Midlands (CTP EM) were alerted in 2020 following racist posts made through a Twitter account in relation to the Black Lives Matter campaign.

A subsequent search of Patterson’s address led to the recovery of ‘notable communications’ on his digital devices as well as various items including Nazi memorabilia including an SS ring, a gas mask and a Swastika-engraved dagger.

Patterson, 24, will be subject to an extended period on licence of one year and relevant property, including his digital devices and the Nazi memorabilia, were ordered to be destroyed or forfeited.

Detective Inspector Alan Jackson, from Northamptonshire Police’s CTP-EM Special Branch team, said: “This was a complex investigation that led to the discovery of extreme right-wing and anti-Semitic communications as well as a number of Nazi memorabilia in his possession.”