Neo-Nazi’s tears as he faces jail

Nicky Davison was a founder member of an extremist right-wing group called the Aryan Strike Force, which was set up by his father, Ian.

A three-week trial at Newcastle Crown Court heard how the group planned a terror strike using deadly “weaponised” ricin – a toxic powder famously used by Bulgarian secret police to assassinate the dissident Georgi Markov in London with a poisoned umbrella.

A jury took 50 minutes to convict 19-year-old Davison of three counts of possessing information useful in committing or preparing terror acts.

The teenager, who told the court he had joined the group to please his father and now rejected its ideology, paled and bowed his head when the jury returned its verdict.

His father, of Myrtle Grove, Burnopfield, County Durham, admitted six charges of preparing for acts of terrorism and producing a chemical weapon last summer.

Video uploaded to YouTube by white supremacist group, The Wolfpack

During the trial, the court heard how the group – also known as Legion 88 and Wolf- Pack – planned to launch a fight against what it believed was a Zionist Occupation Government.

Members of the organisation prided themselves on being members of the most extreme ultra right-wing organisation of its kind in the UK and openly mocked other groups.

Members believed the state had been taken over by Jews and they planned to fight back.

The jury was shown a video of a training camp that featured people in balaclavas carrying Nazi flags and giving Nazi salutes – as well as a video of a pipe bomb, apparently produced by Davison Snr.

When police raided Nicky Davison’s home in Grampian Way, Annfield Plain, County Durham, they found electronic copies of The Poor Man’s James Bond and the Anarchist’s Cookbook on two computers.

Both gave instruction on how to make bombs, explosives, detonators, guns and silencers.

Davison Jnr denied any knowledge of the documents and the court was told it was a “mischievous” friend who had downloaded them.

The jury heard how he used the codename Thorburn1488 – a combination of well-known neo-Nazi references – when leaving messages online.

Davison Jnr, who was the North-East Youth Organiser for the Aryan Strike Force, used his graphic skills to design emblems and logos.

He also admitted having researched how to make an electromagnetic pulse bomb capable of destroying computer systems and causing massive disruption.

Davison Jnr said his “eyes were opened” when he learned his father had been found in possession of ricin.

Davison was not accused of helping his 41-year-old father to make the ricin – a single jar of which is at the Government’s Porton Down chemical warfare research station, in Wiltshire.

However, he was described in court as “clearly an influential figure in the creation and development of the Aryan Strike Force website”.

The aim was not merely serving up white supremacist propaganda, but encouraging others to take up arms.

Andrew Edis, prosecuting, told the jury of nine men and three women that the teenager was a significant figure in a group whose members were no mere “keyboard warriors”.

“They were preparing to do ops, in other words paramilitary activity,” said Mr Edis.

“They were in the early stages of preparation.”

Judge John Milford said to defence barrister Peter Carter: “Mr Carter, the question of bail or custody – can you see any argument, really, for a non-custodial sentence?”

Mr Carter replied: “No.”

The pair will be sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court on May 14.

Davison Jnr was taken away after hugging his weeping mother in the public gallery.

Speaking after the trial, Detective Chief Superintendent Neil Malkin said Davison’s father was the head of the organisation which had “abhorrent views” towards ethnic minorities and Jewish people.

And, he said, he was fully intending to use the ricin.

Mr Malkin said: “He lived in an atmosphere of extreme right-wing, white supremacist neo-Nazi rhetoric and he has embraced that.

“Nicky certainly had his own mind and he has gone on to further that by being involved.”