Neo-Nazi conspiracy theorist who had gun in bedroom jailed

Alan Madden kept a semi-automatic pistol in his bedroom

An extreme right-wing conspiracy theorist with an "unhealthy interest" in weapons and proscribed organisations" has been jailed.

Liverpool Crown Court heard Alan Madden smuggled a semi-automatic pistol home from South Africa and kept it in his bedroom.

The 65-year-old admitted stirring up racial hatred and possession of a gun, ammunition and a flick knife.

Madden, from Port Sunlight in Wirral, was jailed for seven-and-a-half years.

The court heard that during a raid on Madden's home on Boundary Road in September, police found the Czech-manufactured firearm in a box in his bedroom, along with 384 rounds of ammunition.

His sentencing hearing was told an examination of two seized laptops and a mobile phone showed he had "extreme right-wing views" and an "unhealthy interest in firearms, weapons and proscribed organisations".

'Warped ideology'

Madden told police he brought the gun back from South Africa, where he lived for 49 years, and would only have used the gun in "extreme circumstances" to defend himself and his wife in the event of a "complete breakdown in society".

He also told officers he was viewed as a "conspiracy theorist" and described himself as a "survivalist" who did not believe the government would look after his safety.

Three sets of nunchucks, a martial arts weapon, and a flick knife were recovered from his home and a manifesto written by Brenton Tarrant, who committed the Christchurch terror attacks in New Zealand in 2019, as well as calls to action were found on his devices.

The court was also told Madden shared speeches by Adolf Hitler online and a video promoting neo-Nazi organisation National Action (NA).

He later told police he said he thought the organisation, which was banned in 2016, was "commendable".

Sentencing him, Judge David Aubrey KC said Madden had aligned himself with NA's beliefs and had brought the gun into the country "knowingly and with calculation".

He said Madden's immersion in firearms and other weapons had to be assessed against the background of his "warped ideology".

He added that he did not accept defence submissions that there was minimal risk of death or serious harm from Madden's ownership of the gun, adding: "In my judgment, there was some risk of harm in that you, a complex man with the beliefs you held, were in possession of the weapon and ammunition, albeit that they remained in your home."

Speaking after sentencing, Counter Terrorism Policing North West Det Supt Andrew Meeks said Madden "admitted inciting racial hatred and holding extremist views which presented him as a threat to wider society".

He added that Madden's gun and ammunition had "been taken out of circulation and will be destroyed".

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