Weather Afternoon: 10°c Sunny spells Tonight: 4°c Partly Cloudy Night

News

Neil Lewington
Fanatic: Neil Lewington planned campaign from his bedroom

'Nazi bomber caught on train was plotting terror campaign'

Paul Cheston, Courts Correspondent
29 Jun 2009


A fanatic caught carrying two bombs on a train was on the verge of launching a terrorist campaign for white supremacy, the Old Bailey heard today.

Neil Lewington, 43, spoke of adapting tennis balls into shrapnel bombs and either planting or throwing them.

He turned the bedroom of the house he shared with his parents into a bomb factory, the court heard.

Police found he had a Waffen SS UK member's handbook and videos about the Unabomber and Oklahoma bomber in the United States and British Nazi nail bomber David Copeland.

But police only stumbled on the alleged threat by accident when they arrested Lewington for urinating in public. Prosecutor Brian Altman QC said: "The effect of these findings is to prove that this man who had strong if not fanatical Right-wing leanings and opinions was on the cusp of embarking on a campaign of terror against those he regarded as being not British.

"In essence by being in possession of two viable improvised incendiary devices he was preparing for an act or acts of terrorism... by the use of explosive substances to advance his ideological cause including white supremacy and racism."

Lewington was arrested at Lowestoft station, Suffolk, in October last year when he was reported to police by train staff for urinating in public.

He had travelled from his home in Reading to stay with a woman he had met in an internet chatroom.

When he was searched his holdall was found to contain component parts of "two viable improvised incendiary devices". Lewington has pleaded not guilty to eight charges.

The case continues.

 

  • Riot axeman terror at McDonald's Axe man A rioter who terrorised diners with an axe at McDonald's has been jailed for five years and three months - one of the toughest sentences for...
  • Terror of boy exposed as gang witness Scotland Yard A BOY and his family had to flee their London home after a blunder by the Met and Crown Prosecution Service gave his name to gang members he...
  • Mayor of poverty-hit council hires adviser in £1,000-a-day deal Lutfur Rahman One of the poorest boroughs in London is under fire for spending £1,000 a day on a personal aide for its mayor
  • Hyde Park mega-concerts at risk after neighbours complain about the noise Hyde park crowd Major music concerts in Hyde Park could be axed because Westminster council believes they are too noisy
  • Soho 'field hospital' for drunks reopens David Cameron smile A field hospital set up to deal with London's drunks is being extended as the binge-drinking crisis deepens in the capital
  • Jobless total jumps by 48,000 with UK facing 'zig-zag year' Job Centre unemployment Bank of England Governor Sir Mervyn King warned Britain faces a "zig-zag" year of growth and gloom today as unemployment rose by 48,000
  • Greens and Ukip could test Paddick in fight for mayor poll third place Paddick Brian Paddick could struggle even to finish third in this year's mayoral election, as smaller parties look set to capitalise on Lib-Dem woes...
  • Phone-hack private eye can appeal over human rights ruling Glenn Mulcaire The private investigator at the centre of the phone hacking scandal was today granted the right by the Supreme Court to appeal against a...
  • Britain's athletes could be banned from 2012 for criticising the team Olympic site British athletes risk being banned from the Olympics if they criticise team-mates or sponsors under rules that cover tattoos, contact lenses...
  • Make 'death trap' junctions safer for cyclists, demands university mourning three Ellie Carey A university that saw two students and a member of staff killed cycling in London last year has accused Boris Johnson of failing to act...
  •  

    Don't Miss
    • London Gateway

      Supersize superport: London Gateway

      London Gateway, the £1.5bn container port under construction on the Thames at Thurrock, will have capacity to unload six of the world's largest ships at one time and have as much impact on the capital as a new airport or half a dozen Westfield shopping centres
    • Matthew Williamson

      One stylish affair: Matthew Williamson

      With London Fashion Week kicking off on Friday, British designer Matthew Williamson tells Rosamund Urwin about breaking up with his ex, post-show partying and his new model man