First British police officer convicted of being member of neo-nazi group jailed

The first British police officer to be convicted of belonging to a neo-nazi terrorist group has been jailed for more than four years.

Ben Hannam, 22, was found guilty of membership of banned right-wing extremist group National Action (NA) in 2016 until September 2017, following a trial at the Old Bailey.

Hehadbeenworkingasaprobationaryofficerforthemetropolitan Police for nearly two years before he was found on a leaked database of users of extremeright-wingforumiron March and arrested last year.

Hannam, who pleaded guilty to possessing a prohibited image of a child, was also convicted of lying on his application and vetting forms to join the force and having two terror documents detailing knife combat and making explosive devices.

Judge Anthony Leonard QC sentenced Hannam, who was last week sacked by the Met for gross misconduct, to a total of four years and four months on Friday, with an extra one-year licence period.

"I consider what you did to be very serious and you have harmed public trust in the police by your deceit," the judge told him.

"Iacceptyourpolitics...played absolutelynopartinyourpolicing and you provided value for the salary you obtained.

"And I do not believe you had any plans to infiltrate yourself into the police force so as to be useful to the far right at any stage.thereisabsolutelynoevidence for that."

Hannam, wearing beige chinos, a dark blue blazer, white shirtandtieshowednoemotion as he was sentenced and taken down to the cells.

Prosecutor Dan Pawsonpounds said the evidence showed Hannam had "a consistent adherence to neo-nazi tropes between 2014 and 2019" demonstrated by his internet downloads, social media comments and schoolwork.

The court heard that as early as May 2014, Hannam had expressed intolerant views, writing: "I'm not racist, I just don'tlikepeoplewho's(sic)skin is darker than mine!"

His former history teacher said he made "inappropriate" and "offensive" anti-immigration comments during a school Brexit debate.

In March 2016, Hannam signed up to Iron March when he joined the London branch of neo-nazi group NA.

Hannam, who has autism, told jurors he was "desperate to impress"anoldernaorganiser who gave him free stickers and badges.

He went on to try to recruit a new member via Iron March and posed in an official photograph on Crosby Beach at the NA national conference in Liverpoolinapril2016,jurorswere told. On December 16, 2016, NA was proscribed after it glorified the terrorist murder of Labour MP Jo Cox.

But Hannam, of Edmonton, north London, continued to meet high-profile figures in the neo-nazi group.

Between January and July 2017, he saw them in pubs, at an outdoor boxing event, and when he spray-painted an NA symbol in a storm drain.

On July 19, days after the graffiti trip, which was filmed for a promotional video, Hannam applied to join Scotland Yard.

Hefraudulentlydeniedhehad ever been a member of the British National Party "or similar organisation".