Ashley Neil Podsiad-Sharp

The offence

What the court heard

He was found guilty of possessing a record of information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, in May 2022. He was found not guilty of disseminating terrorist material. The judge said: "At the time you committed this offence you were a serving prison officer at HMP Armley in Leeds. It is clear to me you are a man who holds racist and other abhorrent views which have three components: first, you are an unashamed white supremacist with extremely dangerous racialist and hate- related views which includes extreme homophobia; second, you are a man who denies the existence of the holocaust before and during the Second World War, indeed you idolise Hitler and other Nazi war criminals; and, third, you are a self-professed neo-Nazi - indeed, you appeared to be very proud of that in your evidence before the jury in the trial over which I presided in May 2023. It is my intention to send these sentencing remarks to the Secretary of State for Justice as the minister who has responsibility for prisons. I have no idea what, if any, vetting was undertaken by the prison service when you obtained your job as a prison officer or what monitoring there was of you once in post. I have absolutely no doubt that a man with the perverted and extremely dangerous views you hold should never be employed in the responsible position of a prison officer... it is an extremely dangerous publication. It is a manual for murder, terrorist acts, and how to evade capture... I have no doubt you were inciting hatred and you were encouraging acute violence towards those you hate. There is not a shadow of doubt you harbour ingrained racist and homophobic views of which you are very proud. The language you utilise to describe those groups and communities was vile in the extreme... you are a self-professed neo-Nazi who possessed an extremely dangerous publication. You recruited white men with identical views to be sycophantic supplicants to an extremely dangerous and perverted cause. These young men were nascent neo-Nazis and you were encouraging them in their unbridled racism, homophobia and ludicrous, but dangerous, white supremacy theories. I have not overlooked the fact you had a certain weapons in your home. I have little doubt that sooner or later one or more of these individuals would have indulged in violence directed towards a minority group whom you - and they - hated. Your motivation was undoubtedly terrorism. In terms…

Aggravating and mitigating factors

Good Character / No (relevant) previous convictions

Around this case

• Sheffield Crown Court
• Prosecuted by Crown Prosecution Service