Terror-accused student surveyed police station - court told

Luke Skelton took photos of Forth Banks station in Newcastle as it was an intended target, Teesside Crown Court heard

A student who was referred to the Prevent anti-terror programme carried out "hostile reconnaissance" of a police station, a court heard.

Luke Skelton, from Washington, Tyne and Wear, harboured racist, sexist, homophobic, anti-Semitic and Islamophobic views, the jury was told.

Teesside Crown Court heard the 18-year-old took photos of Forth Banks police station in Newcastle in September.

He denies preparing to commit terrorist acts in the year up to October 2021.

Setting out the case for the prosecution, Nicholas de la Poer QC said the purpose of the photographs was to carry out "hostile reconnaissance" and Forth Banks was one of three police stations the Gateshead College student considered as potential targets.

Mr de la Poer said: "Luke Skelton believed in an extreme right-wing ideology. An ideology which lionised Adolf Hitler.

"An ideology which approved of the terrible attack on a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand.

"An ideology which is racist, sexist, Islamophobic and anti-Semitic."

'Racial war'

The jury was told Mr Skelton's autism may be used as factor in his defence, but the Crown maintains he was planning acts of terror.

Concerns were raised at the defendant's college about images in his workbook and he told a tutor he had strong right-wing views, the court was told.

He was referred to the Prevent programme and had eight sessions with a caseworker before he left the service when he turned 18.

In January last year he searched how to make dynamite and began composing a so-called "final note" on his phone, intended to be read by others after something had happened, the jury was told.

Mr de la Poer said: "He states the purpose of the final note is to 'clarify the reasoning for why I have committed these acts is to accelerate the coming collapse and racial war'.

"The hope Luke Skelton is expressing is for his act to spark this war."

Friends theme tune

Mr Skelton was first arrested in June, leading him to change his username for an online group to "Adolf Hitler" - "so the police don't suspect me", he told Discord users.

He was held on suspicion of possessing documents useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, but after he was released he told followers he felt like a coward as he had not done anything yet.

In the following days he downloaded a video of the Christchurch mosque atrocity and edited the Friends theme tune over it, which the prosecution allege was done because the lyric "I'll be there for you" suggested a kinship with the mass murderer.

Mr Skelton also wrote the recipe for an explosive in part of his phone, the jury was told.

He talked online about murdering rape gangs and attacking a drag queen and in August wrote a note on his phone about bombing a police station, Mr de la Poer said.

He was arrested for a second time in October and charged with a terrorist offence.

The next day police found a piece of A4 paper on which he had written a speech expressing his fascist views, Mr de la Poer said.

The trial continues.