Nazi-obsessed teenager who kept pipe bomb in bedroom avoids jail
Video report by ITV News correspondent Ben Chapman
A teenager who built a pipe bomb and kept it in his Nazi memorabilia-filled bedroom has avoided a prison sentence.
The 17-year-old was found guilty last month by a jury at Leeds Crown Court of constructing the explosive device but not guilty of a terrorism offence.
On Monday, a judge handed down a Youth Rehabilitation Order with various stipulations, including a ban from using the internet, saying the teenager had already served the equivalent of a 14-month-long sentence on remand.
A week-long trial heard how the pipe bomb was found in a desk drawer in the boy's Bradford bedroom after police were alerted through suspicious Snapchat messages.
Prosecutors said one of the messages was a cartoon-like image of a mosque being blown up along with the words: "It's time to enact retribution upon the Muslim filth."
Another was a picture of a pipe bomb with an image of the Bradford skyline and the message: "Incendiary explosive and home-made black powder. More to come."
The jury heard how officers found the defendant's bedroom covered in flags, including the swastika and the symbol of the Waffen SS.
They also found a laptop with wallpaper featuring a Nazi eagle over a swastika and the German phrase: "One Nation, One Empire, One Leader."
In one online post he also celebrated the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox and proclaiming her killer, Thomas Mair, a hero.
The teenager told the court he never intended to use the pipe bomb.
But the judge, Mr Justice Goss, rejected the defendant's claim that he was just "fooling around" with the bomb and had forgotten about it when the police arrived.