A loner who was bullied at school became a "literal nazi", developing "abhorrent views" after being referred to Prevent at a young age.
Mason Yates, 19, of Elstree Court in Widnes, was first arrested in January 2021 following a warrant at his home address where a number of media devices and items showing extreme right-wing ideology were seized. His mobile phone was examined and a large number of extreme right-wing images were recovered, alongside concerning electronic documents.
Manchester Crown Court heard how Yates developed an "unsavoury obsession" with right wing politics, MEN reports. Police also found copies of '100 Deadly Skills', providing instructions on knife attacks and explosive devices, as well as the 'White Resistance Manual', on how to carry out mass murder, on his phone.
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Extremist Mason Yates was just 13 when he was first referred to the government's counter-extremism Prevent strategy. Concerns had been raised by his school that the trainee scaffolder had been in discussion with chat rooms discussing how they could defeat ISIS.
Now 19, and appearing before court, he was said to have posted vile racist hate online and downloaded two terrorist documents. It was heard how he described himself as a "literal nazi".
At the age of 16, he was referred to Prevent by his college after he attended class wearing a UKIP bracelet and discussed his political views in a "strong manner". The referral was closed after Yates' father declined help from the authorities.
At Manchester Crown Court on Wednesday, it was heard how Yates' vile posts on the Telegram app were revealed after an undercover police officer posed as an extremist. Yates, then 17, was part of a Telegram channel featuring a network of young people with hateful views.
On Snapchat he said he was trying to convert someone to 'hate ni*****, gays and Muslims' and in a voice note on Telegram he said the "real problem was with Jews", and said the British Army is "full of ni*****, gays and females who fight for the Jew".
Philip McGhee, prosecuting, said Yates, who was also found with extreme pornography which he claimed to find abhorrent, downloaded the two terrorist documents from the Telegram channel. Police went to arrest him at his home in January 2021, at 7am where he had a "white pride" flag in his room.
Officers seized his mobile phone and returned it to him a few days later, after it had been restored to factory settings. Yates - who pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing a document likely to be useful to a person preparing or committing an act of terrorism and possessing extreme pornography - was arrested again in May as he told a friend online: "I don't think they realise, raiding our houses f****** radicalises us more."
Yates said: "No matter like how far my ideology went, in no point did I ever intend to want to like or plan, never a thing or anything to hurt anyone." Just a few days ago, Yates made a payment of £39.98 to a website called Knife Warehouse, but prosecutors said there was no evidence available to reveal what he had bought.
Defending, Nicola Gatto said Yates was "capable of change and de-radicalisation'" adding he had no friends at school and became isolated, spending hours on his computer. His online network made him feel like he was "part of a family" as she claimed that he'd been groomed online and said it could be dangerous for him to be jailed.
Sentencing Yates to 30 months imprisonment, Judge Alan Conrad QC said: "For some years you have held an extreme right wing mindset, expressing hatred towards a number of minorities, religious, ethnic and other groups. Posts by you have endorsed those who have committed atrocities in the name of such warped ideology.
"Your views are abhorrent to all right-thinking people. You have hate for all sorts of people who have not harmed you and who pose no threat to you.
"What has been seen of you tends to show isolation and an inability or unwillingness to engage with others and form relationships, and, as I have found in dealing with a number of these cases, are a common feature involving young men who, in their own homes, communicate with others of like mind to express their poisonous ideology and enter into very dangerous waters on the internet and via social media, obtaining extreme pornography and texts of which are of use to those interested in terrorism."
Following the case, Detective Chief Inspector Clare Devlin, from CTPNW, said: “This was a thorough and comprehensive investigation which has resulted in Yates facing imprisonment for 30 months.
"Today's sentencing reaffirms our commitment to making sure those who pose a risk to our society will be pursued and prosecuted. Extremists using this kind of ideology can create fear and distrust among our communities and CTPNW is committed to finding those responsible and bringing them to justice.
“Reports of this nature are always taken seriously and we would encourage anyone with any concerns around people expressing extremist views to call the UK Anti-Terrorism Hotline in confidence on 0800 789 321, or alternatively, use the secure online form at Gov.uk/ACT. ”
