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Boy, 14, who spray-painted swastikas and downloaded TikTok bomb-making video is spared jail by Nottingham judge

Brenton Tarrant's name was among the Nazi symbols spray-painted on a woman's garden fence by the boy, who was 13 at the time of the attack.
Brenton Tarrant's name was among the Nazi symbols spray-painted on a woman's garden fence by the boy, who was 13 at the time of the attack.

A 14-year-old from Nottinghamshire walked free from Nottingham Justice Centre after pleading guilty to a terrorism offence, racially aggravated criminal damage and possessing a knuckle duster. Judge Paul Goldspring handed him a three-year youth rehabilitation order with electronic monitoring, saying he was placing trust in him to build "a safe and law-abiding future". Counter Terrorism Police East Midlands arrested the boy in January after he was stopped carrying a knife; the subsequent investigation revealed the TikTok bomb-making video and the graffiti. He was 13 when he spray-painted Nazi symbols, a racial slur and the name of Christchurch killer Brenton Tarrant on a woman's garden fence.

The sole victim, a woman of colour living alone, said the graffiti left her 'shocked, scared and in floods of tears' and felt like 'a personal attack'.

Judge Goldspring described the graffiti as 'frankly disgusting' but noted that the boy had been influenced by others seeking to fit in rather than holding a fixed extremist belief system.

Detective Inspector Steve Shaw warned that the boy's behaviour was 'escalating' — from weapons to bomb tutorials — and urged parents to monitor what their children watch online.

MoreThe TelegraphTeenager downloaded TikTok video on building bombsThe IndependentTeen who downloaded TikTok video on preparing explosives spared jailRayoNottinghamshire teenager downloaded TikTok video on preparing explosives - RayoWest Bridgford Wire14-year-old Nottinghamshire boy sentenced for terrorism offence - West Bridgford Wire
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