A white supremacist who was given a suspended jailed sentence and told by a judge to read classic literature, seemingly to educate him away from white supremacy, has been jailed after the initial ruling was overturned.

Ben John, 22, who is described by police as being a white supremacist with neo-Nazi ideologies, was originally given a two-year suspended sentence in August after being convicted of having a copy of The Anarchist Cookbook on a computer hard drive. He also looked up instructions for bomb-making online.

The original judge ruled John’s actions were likely an isolated “act of teenage folly”, with many of his criminal actions taking place in his late teens, and ordered him to reappear in court every four months to be “tested” on classic literature by Charles Dickens, William Shakespeare, Thomas Hardy and Jane Austen.

The original sentencing appeared lenient and was campaigned against by activists. They discovered that just five days after his sentencing, and after promising the judge to turn away from his hatred, he was once again liking far-right and neo-Nazi posts on social media.

The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) referred his sentence to the Court of Appeal under the unduly lenient sentencing scheme.

Solicitor General Alex Chalk QC, who presented the AGO’s case to the Court of Appeal, said there were “real concerns” over John’s online activity.

“We now know that within a week of giving an apparently sincere promise to the judge, he resumed his interest in the far-right,” Chalk said.

“He began liking Nazi posts online and other extremist activity five days after promising the judge he had put it behind him.” He added: “Some of the material accessed as recently as this month is very troubling.”

The judge said the original judge’s leniency had been “understandable,” but ruled that “we are satisfied there must be a sentence of immediate imprisonment.”

John was sentenced to spend two years behind bars. He will also spend a further year on extended licence.

SIGN OUR PETITION

in support of a National Holocaust Memorial next to Parliament

Related Articles:

‘Please bring her home’ – Father of 9-year-old, Emily, asks London rally for help to rescue his ‘sweet, innocent’ daughter

Thomas Hand, father of Emily, who turned 9 in Hamas captivity last week, was among family members of hostages that addressed the crowd at the 'Never Again is Now' rally in London on...

Why did Pope Francis promote hateful propaganda against Israel?

This week we saw an example of why those who are in authority need to be particularly careful with their words because they have the power to influence many people. Sadly, the Pope has...

‘Christians must not remain silent at this time’ – Des Starritt addresses pro-Israel rally in London

Des Starritt, Executive Director of Christians United for Israel (CUFI) in the UK, spoke at the Never Again Is Now prayer rally on Sunday 19th November 2023. CUFI was pleased to support...

Thousands rally outside Downing Street for Christian solidarity with the Jewish community

CUFI would like to thank all our supporters who attended the Never Again Is Now prayer rally on Sunday evening in a peaceful stand of solidarity with the Jewish community, and for all...

Comparing Israel to the Nazis is antisemitic

Comparing Israel to the Nazis is antisemitic. It's as simple as that. However, we know the world we live in cannot take a simple truth an all agree to it. In fact, the reason we have to...