Exeter 20-year-old jailed for terrorism

A 20-year-old man from Honiton has been sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison after being convicted of a string of terrorism-related offences.

Tobias Gleed, of no fixed abode, appeared at Winchester Crown Court on Thursday 17 April where he was found guilty of multiple offences under the Terrorism Acts of 2000 and 2006.

The charges included four counts of possessing documents likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, two counts of distributing terrorist publications, and two counts of providing a service enabling others to access terrorist material.

Gleed was arrested in September 2022 following an investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing South West (CTPSW). Officers discovered extremist right-wing publications on his digital devices and determined that he had actively promoted and shared the content with others via messaging platforms.

He will serve two-thirds of his five-year-and-six-month sentence in custody before being released on licence for the remaining term.

Additionally, Gleed has been handed a five-year Serious Crime Prevention Order to be implemented upon release.

Detective Superintendent Sarah Robbins, Head of CTPSW, said:
“Gleed represents a threat to our communities and the impact of his offences, including the influence of the content he shared, cannot be underestimated. Such offences have a potentially dangerous, radicalising effect and it’s right he’s been convicted for his activity.

I am thankful that, through the work of our unit, the evidence against Gleed has resulted in this outcome.”

Authorities are continuing to urge the public to report any unusual or concerning behaviour, reminding people that early intervention can prevent radicalisation.

If you see or hear something suspicious that you believe may be related to terrorist activity, you can report it in confidence at gov.uk/ACT. In an emergency, always call 999.