A man from Stafford has been jailed for five years and three months for encouraging terrorism and disseminating a terrorism publication. Ivan Jennings, 46, also received a further five years on extended licence at Leicester Crown Court on Wednesday.
Jennings, a father-of-four, pleaded guilty to encouraging terrorism in an online chat between 15 August and 14 November 2024. He also admitted disseminating a manifesto by Anders Breivik on 21 August 2024.
The court heard that Jennings was an active participant in at least seven extreme right-wing groups on the social media platform Telegram. He discussed poisoning Jews and Muslims, and called for the killing of migrants and minority communities, labelling them “subhumans”.
Prosecutor Daniel Oscroft told the court that Jennings had posted messages such as “It’s not murder because we are at war. If it’s subhumans, it’s justified and actually needed.” He also made online searches for motorboat chartering services at Dover and the cost of hiring a boat in the UK.
Judge Lockhart KC stated in his sentencing remarks that Jennings held “deeply held abhorrent and racist views”.