A far-right primary school student who started reading Hitler’s Mein Kampf from the age of 10 after his mother gave it to him for Christmas has been jailed for six years.
Malakai Wheeler was described by a judge as a “deep-rooted racist and white supremacist” when he was sentenced for terrorism offences.
The 18-year-old was convicted after sharing guides on making explosives and firearms with an online group of white nationalists in hopes of fomenting a terrorist attack.
Wheeler, a pupil at Marling School in Stroud, Gloucestershire, was 15 when he began sharing terrorist manifestos, Winchester Crown Court heard.
Jurors heard the teenager scribble swastikas in his school books, was caught giving a Nazi salute and had a video of the 2019 Christchurch shootings on his phone overdubbed with Queen’s «Don’t Stop Me Now.»
He began reading Hitler’s Mein Kampf at the age of 10, as his mother gave it to him for Christmas.
After being questioned by police, he said he had not read it «from cover to cover» but had reread the section on «People and Race» on «different occasions.»
When police searched his home, they allegedly discovered other publications titled Terrorist Handbook, Anarchist Cookbook and Homemade Detonators.
Wheeler later claimed that his stepmother had given him another book she had in her possession, Mini Weapons of Mass Destruction.
The court heard Wheeler was part of a group whose «self-proclaimed purpose» was to provide a venue for «white nationalists.»
In early 2021, Wheeler gained access to a private Telegram group, which was “right-wing and extremist,” after proving he was white and British and answering a series of questions.
They asked him his age, his involvement in National Socialism, and whether he was involved in “preparedness,” meaning proactively preparing for major emergencies.
Prosecutors said the group was the «purest form of right-wing extremism.»
As part of this group, Wheeler published 92 documents and 35 images in a spectacle to “prove his worth.”
He sent so much content that another member told him “take a breath, boy.”
The teenager was found guilty in September of six counts of possessing and sharing terrorism documents following an eight-day trial.
On Friday, Wheeler, who denied all six charges, was sentenced to six years in prison, with a judge calling him “cold and calculating.”
He will serve one year on license, meaning his total sentence was an “extended prison sentence” of seven years.
Wheeler, dressed in a gray jersey, kept a blank face as he was sent to the ground.
His mother was not in court for the sentencing and it is understood Wheeler had been living with his grandmother.
Right-wing socialism and Nazism
Sentencing him, Judge Jane Miller KC said he had «clearly become deeply interested in right-wing socialism and Nazism and all their connotations».
“You were given Mein Kampf, you said, and you started reading it when you were 10 or 11 years old.
“You said you are not a racist or white supremacist, you did not endorse the group and that you were following the formalities.
“In reality, you are a deeply rooted racist and white supremacist with a far-right mentality and a sinister interest in violence and insurrection.”
He said hearing her testimony had been «deeply disturbing and chilling», adding: «it suggests that you intended to commit violence».
And he added: «I just have to say that you are dangerous.»
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