Darlington boy, 14, becomes one of the youngest Britons to be convicted of a terror offence

A 14-year-old boy from Darlington has become one of the youngest in the country to be convicted of a terror offence after admitting possessing an extremist publication.

The teenager appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday January 18 where he pleaded guilty to three counts of possession of a record of information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.

He was arrested in July last year, then aged 13, as part of a planned operation by Counter Terrorism Policing North East.

The teenager, who cannot be named because of his age, will next appear at Newton Aycliffe Youth Court for sentencing on April 1.

Before this case, the youngest defendant to be convicted of terrorist crimes was a 14-year-old from Blackburn, Lancashire, who plotted to murder police officers in 2015.