A neo-Nazi fanatic who made explosives in his garden shed as he contemplated turning Muslims into “mincemeat” has been jailed for three years and nine months.
Harry Whittaker, 33, manufactured a homemade bomb and stored chemicals in a makeshift laboratory in the garden of the home he shared with his mother in the Bedfordshire village of Caddington, near Luton.
Police uncovered his stash of explosives after Whittaker suffered a life-threatening allergic reaction and called 999 for medical help on April 18 2024.
Following his arrest, police uncovered a stream of racist chat on WhatsApp in which Whittaker directed hate towards a mosque in Luton.
In one message, he wrote: “We need a tank covered in machine guns and flame throwers, drive it into that mosque on Friday afternoon and turn them into mincemeat.”
Following an Old Bailey trial, Whittaker was found guilty of charges of possessing and making explosives on or before May 6 2024.
Whittaker had admitted a charge under the Poisons Act and having ammunition without a licence.
During the trial, Whittaker cast himself as a “nerdy” science geek and jurors were not told about the extent of his extreme right-wing beliefs.
At his sentencing on Wednesday, prosecutor Emily Dummett set out further evidence of his racist views and interest in neo-Nazi ideology.
He had a picture of Adolf Hitler, a flag associated with Nazi Germany, swastikas and antisemitic notes in his bedroom.
Whittaker downloaded extreme right-wing material and had expressed a desire for Tommy Robinson to lead a “civil war” and “kick out” people of Asian heritage in a message to his brother in 2022.
In another message, he wrote about putting ricin poison into the water supply at Bury Park, near Luton.
He had continued to express extreme beliefs and failed to recognise that what he had done was wrong since his conviction, Ms Dummett said.
Mitigating, Polly Dyer maintained Whittaker had the explosives for “scientific interest and endeavour”.
She said: “They were low-level explosives. He had the majority of the items for years without seeking to use them intending to harm others and the property of others.
“There are of course items and messages put before the court that on any view are racist and offensive but there is no correlation between the items he was convicted on and other evidence referenced by the Crown.
“His experimentation was not motivated by any racial hostility to certain groups of individuals.”
She accepted he had “abhorrent” views and an interest in Nazism but insisted he did not pose a “significant risk”.
Whittaker had been on bail ahead of his trial but that was revoked after he failed to attend court and was found in a distressed state on two London bridges.
Ms Dyer said: “He has certain vulnerabilities. He has been very scared of custody in the run-up to his trial. He found the court proceedings extremely hard.”
Since he had been in jail, Whittaker had used his time productively and developed an interest in art.
Ms Dyer held up a drawing he had made of the composer Ludwig van Beethoven which he hoped to submit to a competition.
After conferring with the defendant in the dock, she added: “Mr Whittaker contests and disputes the fact he has the desire to cause harm to any groups based on race or religion.”
Sentencing, Judge Simon Mayo KC told Whittaker: “I am sure your conduct in making and possessing explosives gave rise to risk of harm to others.
“Whilst I cannot be sure you had formed any separate intent to use the explosives or chemicals for a violent purpose you spoke about it and to a certain extent contemplated it.”
The judge said Whittaker was “highly intelligent” and his responsibility was not diminished by his mental health issues or autism spectrum disorder.
He noted a previous conviction for driving off and injuring his neighbour, and his disorganised lifestyle, as he found Whittaker was a dangerous offender and posed a risk to members of the public in the future.
Previously, the court heard how paramedics had gone to the defendant’s home after being alerted to a possible anaphylactic shock.
Whittaker told them that he had been conducting experiments with chemicals in his laboratory and showed them his shed.
He said a window had broken on the shed after an experiment resulted in an explosion, the court was told.
The medics relayed their concerns to the police, who came to search the address on May 6 2024.
They found black powder, blanks and a round of live ammunition, chemicals, lethal poisons and suspected improvised explosive devices.
Officers also discovered radioactive materials and white phosphorus, a substance which can spontaneously ignite in air and is so dangerous that it had to be destroyed by controlled explosion by the military.
When he was detained by police, Whittaker was found in possession of a wrap of heroin.
In police interviews, Whittaker said: “I’m just a nerdy kid who likes doing science.”
The defendant said that he marked bottles with a skull and crossbones because it looked cool.
Whittaker thanked Judge Mayo as he was sent down from the Old Bailey dock on Wednesday.
Chief Superintendent Jaki Whittred, from Bedfordshire Police, said: “The upset and disruption within the local community following the findings at Mr Whittaker’s address was considerable.
“Once again, I pass on my thanks and admiration to residents across Caddington for their support and understanding during what would have been a deeply concerning time.
Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “By making improvised explosive devices and collecting such a toxic array of chemicals his shed, Whittaker’s actions were incredibly reckless and put his whole neighbourhood at risk.
“Whittaker claimed he just had a curiosity with science and that he meant no harm, but in reality he put himself, his family and all of his neighbours in great peril.”