Derbyshire Man who downloaded bomb-making material and researched far-right and Islamist groups sentenced to prison
A man who downloaded bomb-making material was sentenced to two years and six months’ imprisonment on Monday.
David Bodill, 29 from Buxton, was convicted and sentenced at Manchester Crown Court after being charged with one offence under section 4 of the Explosive Substances Act 1883.
Mr Bodill was initially arrested on 2nd March 2022 after police discovered that he attempted to buy potential explosive-making materials.
Following his arrest, police found chemicals that could be used to make explosives at his home, along with a notepad that contained instructions on how to make such explosives.
Police also found concerning material on Mr Bodill’s laptop, which contained videos from extremist Islamist terror groups and far-right groups that featured beheadings and bomb-making instructions.
Mr Bodill was due to appear in Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 22nd October the same year but failed to attend.
It was then discovered that he had fled to Bulgaria, when he told police that he had no intention of returning to the UK. Mr Bodill was arrested by the Bulgarian authorities in January, earlier this year, and was subsequently extradited to the UK.
Of the conviction, Detective Sergeant Frank Fraser of Counter Terrorism Policing East Midlands said: “The substances and downloaded bomb making materials possessed by David Bodill are very concerning. Not only had he researched and written his own notes on bomb making but had also searched for and downloaded extreme footage from various terrorist groups.
“While he did not appear to have any significantly extreme political views his interest in such matters – combined with his bomb making materials and handbooks – makes for a dangerous individual.”
He added: “We welcome both the verdict and sentence and hope it sends a clear message that we will do all we can to ensure the safety of our communities. We have seen an increasing number of people being exposed to extremist material online and I would urge anyone who has any concerns about any of the family or friends who may be exhibiting concerning behaviour to report it.”
Campaign Against Antisemitism closely monitors the far-right, which remains a dangerous threat to the Jewish community and other minority groups.
Image credit: Derbyshire Constabulary