'Sleep with one eye open': London man found guilty of encouraging terrorism through jihad videos

A South Norwood man has been found guilty of propagating terrorism after police were able to trace multiple jihad videos to his account. Under the Terrorism Act 2006, Gary Staples of Crowther Road was found guilty of seven counts of encouraging terrorism and one count of disseminating a terrorist publication on 24 January.

According to The Crown Prosecution Services, the 50-year-old created seven homemade videos in which he voiced support for the Islamic State and warned of dire consequences to all kuffars (non-believers).

The videos featured men firing assault rifles and fighters on horseback holding Daesh flags' images of Osama Bin Laden, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of Isis, and prominent convicted UK extremists including Anjem Choudary and Abu Hamza.

One video which was shared on Youtube called on the viewer to, "Take a break, come to jihad".

Another clip depicted UK's former Prime Minister Tony Blair on fire and was followed by the message: "O kuffar, sleep with one eye open."

Staples also shared a video by a media organisation used by Daesh in which an armed man wearing camouflage says that the only path to victory is through sacrifice and jihad.

A song in the background mentions "maidens of Paradise awaiting the martyrs" and "we are the men who love death just as you love your life".

During his interrogation, Staples claimed he had no political or extremist views and had created only one of the videos which were posted between May and September 2016. He said that two other men who had visited his home may have made the other clips.

"Staples was clearly publishing and sharing extremist and terrorist content, with a view to encouraging others to engage with and carry out acts of terrorism," Cdr Dean Haydon, head of the Met's Counter Terrorism Command, said.

"He tried to avoid detection by using what he thought were anonymous usernames but we were able to trace them back to him."

Sue Hemming, head of the Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division in the CPS said that Staples created videos to glorify violent jihad and then tried to claim he was not extremist.

"When the prosecution presented overwhelming evidence that they were made on his electronic devices he invented a story which the jury clearly saw through and concluded that his intention was to encourage those who viewed them to prepare or commit terrorist acts," she added.

Prior to being charged with encouraging terrorism, the accused was convicted of child cruelty in January 2016 for playing a gruesome propaganda video for his young son. The footage showed an Isis terrorist beheading a captive. He later told authorities that his son thought the beheadings were of people being buried in the sand.

Judge Anuja Dhir QC ordered that Staples remanded in custody till his sentencing on 27 February.