A St Neots man who attended court in Nazi clothing was found guilty of stirring up racial hatred and possessing a document with “information useful to terrorism”.

Matthew Henegan, 36, of Bedford Street, was convicted of a number of charges at the Old Bailey on Friday (December 10), following an investigation by the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU).

Henegan was initially arrested in April 2020, after members of the public reported receiving offensive leaflets intended to incite hatred against the Jewish community in March 2020.

Officers searching his address then found material suggesting he admired Adolf Hitler and had an extreme right-wing mindset, along with evidence he planned to continue distributing the offensive leaflets.

A document with instructions on making armour piercing bullets was also found at the address, which led to the investigation being handed to ERSOU’s Counter Terrorism Policing unit. He was subsequently charged with numerous offences.

Following a trial at the Old Bailey, Henegan was found guilty by a jury of a number of offences.

This included distributing written material with the intention to stir up racial hatred, and possessing a document containing information useful to terrorism, contrary to Section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000.

Detective Superintendent Andy Waldie, head of Counter Terrorism Policing for ERSOU, said: “There’s no doubt that Henegan shows all the signs of someone with a warped, right-wing ideology who was intent on stirring racial hatred in his home town.

“Throughout the investigation and when interviewed by officers he repeatedly used racial slurs and offensive terms, and showed no remorse whatsoever for his actions.

“This was particularly clear when he attended court, firstly in a face mask bearing the swastika emblem and subsequently dressed in Nazi-like clothing."

Henegan was found guilty of seven offences in total. These are:

  • Possessing a document containing information useful to terrorism.

  • Two counts of publishing written material with the intention to stir up racial hatred.

  • Two counts of distributing visual/sound recordings with the intention to stir up racial hatred.

  • Distributing written material with the intention to stir up racial hatred.

  • Possessing written material which is threatening, abusive or insulting, with the intention to stir up racial hatred.

He is due to be sentenced on January 14.