The alleged leader of banned Neo Nazi group National Action took inspiration from the IRA and wanted to become a political prisoner, a court heard today.
Christopher Lythgoe, 32, allegedly told Jack Renshaw, 23, not to ‘f**k up’ his plan to murder Labour MP Rosie Cooper with a 19-inch Gladius Machete and kill Detective Constable Victoria Henderson.
Lythgoe initially suggested Renshaw should target the then Home Secretary Amber Rudd with the £54 blade instead of the West Lancashire MP, who was ‘a nobody,’ jurors heard.
Another suspected member of the proscribed group Matthew Hankinson, 24, told Renshaw he should target a synagogue while they discussed the attack at the Friar Penketh Wetherspoons pub in Warrington, the court heard.
Defendants in the National Action terror trial at the Old Bailey from left to right Garron Helm, Michal Trubini, Andrew Clarke, Matthew Hankinson, Christopher Lythgoe, and Jack Renshaw
Former National Action member and whistleblower Robbie Mullen, 25, was part of the meeting on 1 July last year and contacted Nick Lowles from the campaign group Hope Not Hate, who relayed the threat to Stoke-on-Trent MP Ruth Smeeth, who then told Ms Cooper.
Mullen joined National Action in August or September 2015 and gave evidence at the Old Bailey in exchange for immunity from prosecution.
The far-right group was banned by the Home Secretary on 16 December 2016 following their open support of the murder of Jo Cox, the MP for Batley.
But after its proscription they carried on as before, merely ‘shedding an old skin for a new one’ as its members continued to train for the ‘race war’ by practising boxing and mixed martial arts and regularly meeting at Wetherspoons, the court heard.
The group discussed how the proscription may have resulted from pressure from the Campaign Against Antisemitism
More examples of flyers allegedly made by the group showing far-right propaganda
Shortly before the ban, in early September 2016, in National Action’s online group chat, titled ‘PewDiePie fan club’, one participant named ‘Nyos’ said: ‘One thing which i still wonder about is what was really the trigger for the ban, I don’t think it was those comments about that k***ss’
The court heard the anti-semitic slur was a reference to Jo Cox.
Mullen said in the chat the reason for the ban was: ‘Maybe kids making bombs.’
The group discussed how the proscription may have resulted from pressure from the Campaign Against Antisemitism.
Nyos says: ‘Ehhhh terrorist laws are not something to ever go near. Unlike the sh**skins they will use all their powers against you.’
Lythgoe says: ‘Let them.
‘Fight, be a political prisoner… the IRA never gave up, they got Ireland in return.’
Lythgoe, Renshaw and Hankinson are on trial at the Old Bailey along with Garron Helm, 24, Andrew Clarke, 33, and Michael Trubini, 25, who all deny belonging to a proscribed organisation.
Lythgoe was insistent that National Action members should engage in physical training, and the group set up ‘training camps’ where members would fight with rubber knives and Kali sticks, the court heard.
Mullen contacted Hope Not Hate in April 2017 to ‘get out’, shortly before Renshaw confessed his terror plot.
Tutanota National Action structure, part of material released in the Old Bailey court case of Jack Renshaw who has admitted preparing acts of terrorism by buying a large Gladuis knife to murder Rosie Cooper, MP for West Lancashire
Renshaw’s defence barrister David Prowse QC accused Mullen of lying about the existence of National Action post-proscription so that he could ‘feel important.’
Mr Prowse said: ‘It’s right isn’t it that up until late 2014 you had been unemployed and claimed sickness benefit for about 4 years?’
‘Yeah,’ said Mullen.
‘Is that why you’d grown bored and wanted some form of identity?’ asked Mr Prowse.
‘Could quite well be,’ said Mullen.
The defence barrister asked if Mullen joined National Action because he believed with its purpose to ‘start a race war’, and Mullen said: ‘Yeah, I never said I didn’t share the views.
An image of a black skull mask which was released as part of the Old Bailey Case against the alleged neo-nazis
The group discussed how the proscription may have resulted from pressure from the Campaign Against Antisemitism
‘I was fully involved, I was obsessed with it.’
Mr Prowse suggested that Hope Not Hate would have no interest in paying Mullen to be an informant if it was the case that the meetings at the Friar Penketh were just ‘like-minded individuals’ discussing far-right politics.
Mr Prowse said: ‘Your problem was, having worked your way through the ranks, any ambition you had to see it through to the end as you put it was scuppered when the group was banned in December 2016.
More material released in the Old Bailey court case of Jack Renshaw who has admitted preparing acts of terrorism by buying a large Gladuis knife to murder Rosie Cooper, MP for West Lancashire
‘You were back to where you’d been when you were unemployed.’
The lawyer claimed Mullen joined Hope Not Hate to ‘make some money,’ saying: ‘You would make that money by convincing Hope Not Hate that National Action still existed.
‘And that contact with Hope Not Hate was very similar to why you first joined National Front, it gave you an identity.
‘It gave you focus and purpose, would you agree?’
‘Yeah,’ said Mullen.
The campaign group paid for Mullen to fly to Dublin and Mr Prowse claims they are paying him £22,000 a year to be a ‘researcher’, while Mullen claims it’s only £18,000.
He had netted £25,000 from his years on benefits, the court heard.
Mullen admitted he was ‘on the sick’ for four years and lied about stomach pains in order to get benefits.
A diagram of the National Action structure released by Greater Manchester Police
He claimed that he continued to see the defendants in the case after the ban as they were still his friends at the time.
Helm brought his face to his hands and chuckled in the dock.
Lythgoe’s defence Crispin Aylett QC asked Mullen to ‘put his Nazi hat on’ and tell the court what he would have thought if he heard a Somali had come to the UK and claimed benefits while pretending to be ill.
‘I wouldn’t have cared because I wouldn’t have knew about it,’ said Mullen, who earlier told the court he still held far-right views but not as severely as before.
Lythgoe, of Greymist Avenue, Woolston, Warrington; Helm, of Gladstone Road, Seaforth, Merseyside; Hankinsin, of Market Street, Newton Le Willows, Merseyside; Clarke, of Latham Close, Prescot, Liverpool; Trubini, of Dutton Court, Warrington, Cheshire, and Renshaw, of Skelmersdale, Lancashire, all deny belonging to a proscribed organisation.
Lythgoe faces a further count of encouraging another to commit an offence and Renshaw admits making threats to kill and one count of preparation of an act of terrorism.
The trial continues.
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