Neo-Nazi Army driver, 34, jailed 18 years for terrorism manuals
Neo-Nazi former Ukip member and Army driver, 34, who stockpiled chemicals and collected terrorism manuals and instructions on how to make homemade bombs and weapons is jailed for 18 years
- Dean Morrice, 34, was jailed for 18 years for stockpiling explosive substances
- The neo-Nazi Army driver had a cache of terrorism instructions, a court heard
- Chemicals to make gunpowder found in his Paulton, Somerset, garage last year
A neo-Nazi former Army driver who stockpiled chemicals to make explosives has been jailed for 18 years.
Dean Morrice, 34, collected a cache of terrorism manuals and instructions on how to make home-made bombs and weapons.
He regularly took part in far-right forums and had set up two of his own propaganda channels, glorifying figures from the Third Reich and hailing neo-Nazi terrorists as ‘saints’.
In one video he strummed a guitar in time with the gunshots to footage of the Christchurch mosque shooting, in which Brenton Tarrant killed 51 people, three days after the 2019 attack.
A stockpile of chemicals used to make thermite and gunpowder was found in his garage when police raided his home in Paulton, Somerset, in August last year.
Dean Morrice, 34, (pictured) collected a cache of terrorism manuals and instructions on how to make home-made bombs and weapons
Officers also discovered a 3D printer, along with instructions for how to make a gun and printed parts for a firearm.
Morrice, who ran a small business fixing electronics after a brief stint in the Army, which he joined aged 16 as a driver, told jurors he enjoyed dressing up as a ‘right-wing fascist’ in outfits including a tactical vest, skull mask and beret.
‘I think it’s fair to say I have fascist and neo-Nazi views,’ he said, giving evidence at Kingston Crown Court.
He said he had been a ‘bit of a fan of Nigel Farage’ and a paid-up member of Ukip, the party he used to lead, before Morrice left ‘a few years ago’, with his views becoming more far right up until his arrest on August 20 2020.
But Morrice said he did not believe in ‘committing acts of violence towards ethnic or religious groups’ and did not want to encourage terrorism.
In one video Morrice (pictured superimposed on the video, left) strummed a guitar in time with the gunshots to footage of the Christchurch mosque shooting
Photo of a Ender 3D printer discover at Dean Morrice’s home. Officers also discovered instructions for how to make a gun and printed parts for a firearm
He was last week found guilty of two counts of having an explosive substance, three counts of dissemination of a terrorist publication, one of encouraging terrorism and four of possession of a document useful for terrorist purposes between March 15 2019 and August 20 2020.
Judge Peter Lodder QC sentenced him to an 18-year jail term, with a five-year extended licence period, at Kingston Crown Court on Monday.
He told Morrice: ‘You have described yourself as a patriot.
Stickers on Dean Morrice’s guitar
‘You are not a patriot, you are a dangerous neo-Nazi, your bigotry and hatred is abhorrent to the overwhelming majority in this country.
‘It is from the material found on your computer and in your social network communications that the full picture of your character emerges.
‘You supported and encouraged extreme groups in your local area and internationally.’
The court heard that people who knew Morrice were ‘shocked and surprised’ to discover what he had been doing and the judge described him as ‘living somewhat of a double life’.
Narita Bahra QC, defending, said Morrice had been a law-abiding family man who was living a normal life ahead of the 18-month period of his offending, and that his mental health issues had been ‘exacerbated’ by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Detective Chief Superintendent Kath Barnes, head of Counter Terrorism Policing South East, said: ‘This is the first terrorism case which has taken evidence obtained by use of a 3D printer to court.’
She added: ‘Through dedicated investigation, Morrice was stopped before he was able to carry out any physical act of terror but the evidence showed that he actively encouraged terrorism to others with his toxic ideology and had the intention and potentially the capability to commit one himself.’
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