Jail for far-right extremist over terror charges

Peter Morgan had started to put together improvised explosive device

A far-right extremist convicted of preparing acts of terrorism has been jailed for 12 years.

Peter Morgan, 35, had already started to assemble an explosive device with the potential to cause “horrific” injuries when he was caught with bomb-making equipment and manuals at his Edinburgh home.

A court heard how he had been amassing a collection of neo-Nazi, antiMuslim, anti-semitic and racist material over a five-year period.

He was earlier convicted by a jury of two charges under the Terrorism Act and one charge under the 1883 Explosive Substances Act, dating from April 2012 to July last year.

He returned to the High Court in Edinburgh yesterday for sentencing, where judge Lord Boyd told him: “These charges threaten the safety of the public, our values as a democracy and strike at the dignity and respect which all members of our community are entitled to expect whatever their race or religion.”

He imposed a 15-year extended sentence on Morgan, involving 12 years in jail followed by three years on licence upon his release from custody.

Prosecutors said the items found at Morgan’s home included explosive substances, propellants, containers, a model rocket initiator, a large quantity of fireworks and a selection of neo-Nazi and other extreme right wing paraphernalia and flags.

A search also uncovered a vinegar bottle which had been modified by adhering ball bearings and nail gun cartridges to the exterior, the Crown Office said following the hearing.

A forensic examination of his computer revealed he had been viewing and downloading documents relating to how to make a bomb, how to remove DNA from a dead body, and the best way to dispose of a dead body, prosecutors added.

Lord Boyd told Morgan: “You downloaded documents from the internet including guides relating to the operation of explosive devices and the manufacture of explosive substances.

“Of most concern is that you not only possessed the ingredients for the making of an improvised explosive device but you had begun to assemble it.”