The "head of fitness" at far-right organisation Patriotic Alternative was jailed for sharing manifestos that encouraged extreme terror attacks.
Fitness guru Kristofer Thomas Kearney, who went by the name Charlie Big Potatoes on Telegram, pleaded guilty in March to two offences of disseminating terrorist publications. The two offences relate to two Telegram posts on January 23 and March 8 2021 which saw the 38-year-old share dozens of documents encouraging extreme right-wing terror attacks.
These included the manifestos of Christchurch mosque killer Brenton Tarrant and Anders Breivik, who murdered 77 people in Norway. Kearney posted a numbered list and links to 89 extreme right-wing documents in 2021. The court heard material on his profile depicted violence or encouraged violence in the battle against "white genocide".
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Kearney, originally from Liverpool, was based in Alicante before he was extradited from Spain to face charges last September. The court heard Kearney had previously told Telegram users Adolf Hitler "showed people the way" and "did nothing wrong" as he shared posts encouraging violence against Jews and Muslims.
The defendant, who was part of the parachute regiment for two years, regularly featured on right-wing podcasts and had set up a channel called Fascist Fitness to hand out exercise and fitness tips. The self-described British fascist said during his evidence that he was "horrified" to have shared videos which encouraged violence.
He described some of the phrases used on his channel as a "rallying cry" for people to get involved in community groups and denied they were aimed at promoting violence. He denied his intention was to prompt anyone who saw the material he posted to then go on to seriously injure people or damage property.
Kearney told the court the point of setting up his channel was to "spread the right-wing and the fascist world view". He was believed to be the "head of fitness" at Patriotic Alternative - and regularly shared its accounts such as White Lives Matter banners.
An image of Kearney with a National Action flag was also previously shown to the court, which the defendant said was taken at an anti-grooming gang rally in Darlington. He is said to have been an active member of the neo-nazi group until a week before it was banned for glorifying the murder of MP Jo Cox.
Judge Richard Marks KC had determined at an earlier trial of issue that Kearney shared the posts both recklessly and with the intention of encouraging terrorism, accepting he may not have familiarised himself with all the postings but rejecting the claim he was completely ignorant of any material involving violence.
He told Kearney at the Old Bailey yesterday, Friday, June 24: "In this country, we have lived for many years in a multicultural society which most people regard as being enriching. Right-thinking members of any society regard tolerance, kindness, understanding and inclusivity to everyone regardless of their background as being of absolutely fundamental importance.
"Much of the material that you posted entirely negates those values and is extreme, vile, inflammatory, divisive and deeply offensive. Whilst I am willing to give you the benefit of the doubt that your entire agenda and intention was not throughout to encourage acts of terrorism, I conclude from the nature, extent and volume of the material posted that such was your fanaticism in achieving your state of objectives that you were prepared and intended at least in part for that to happen if that is what it took."
Kearney was jailed for four years and eight months concurrent on each count with an extended licence period of two years after finding the defendant legally dangerous. A notification requirement for a period of 10 years was also ordered.
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