A Bolton man who verbally abused Jewish people at public events and posted propaganda material online has been jailed

Robert Taylor (18/11/1981), of Ullswater Drive, Farnworth, was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court to four years in prison with a one year extended license period today (Friday 18 October 2024) after pleading guilty to various charges relating to attempts to stir up racial hatred, including numerous offences under the Terrorism Act.  

He is also subject to a Serious Crime Prevention Order for a period of five ears after release. 

In May 2021, Taylor attended a car boot sale in Tyldesley and filmed himself approaching a Jewish man and verbally abusing him with antisemitic comments. After the man walked away, Taylor made his way around the car boot sale and handed out leaflets containing information of the same nature.

A couple of months later, he shared a propaganda video featuring a proscribed organisation on social media.

Over subsequent months, Taylor would stick antisemitic posters up in public places around Bolton. In addition to the posters, he also graffitied existing posters with antisemitic rhetoric, stuck white supremacy stickers to street signs, and handed out racist flyers to members of the public.

Meanwhile Taylor regularly bragged about his activity on his social media accounts, in addition to posting reams of antisemitic, racist, homophobic, and transphobic content.

In July 2022, he returned to the same car boot sale he had visited the year before and targeted a Jewish family with verbal abuse and made various references to the Holocaust. The following month he attended a protest in Bolton and was seen hurling antisemitic insults at a member of the public.

Taylor’s online activity was initially identified by the Community Security Trust (CST) and reported to police, prompting an investigation which would reveal the full scale of his offending.

Following his arrest in February 2023, an examination of his electronic devices found that he was in possession of instructional information on the manufacture of explosives which may be useful to someone who commits or prepares acts of terrorism. He had also sent a propaganda video for a proscribed organisation to another person.

Speaking following the sentencing, Detective Superintendent Ben Cottam, Head of Investigations for Counter Terrorism Policing North West, said: “Robert Taylor’s actions over the time leading up to his arrest are nothing short of sickening.

“He subjected innocent people to vile antisemitic abuse, including a family with two young children who were enjoying a day out. Not content with abusing people in person, he attempted to spread his ignorant views wider by putting up posters, handing out leaflets and scrawling graffiti on walls in public places.

“Taylor would then brag about his exploits on social media and use it as a platform to share more antisemitic, racist, homophobic, and transphobic content. On one occasion he even shared a propaganda video for a proscribed organisation on social media and was later found to have sent a similar video to somebody directly.

“I’m grateful to the Community Security Trust for reporting Taylor’s online activity to police, and I hope today’s outcome sends a clear message that we are prepared to act decisively on reports such as these. Ignorance like that shown by Taylor has no place in society and, working alongside key partners such as the CST, we will continue to support communities targeted by abuse and ensure those responsible face the consequences of their actions.”

The full list of charges Robert Taylor pleaded guilty to include:

• Four counts of distributing written material which was threatening, abusive or insulting with the intent thereby to stir up racial hatred or where, having regard to all the circumstances, racial hatred was likely to be stirred up. Contrary to section 19(1) Public Order Act 1986.
• Two counts of distributing recordings of visual images which were threatening, abusive or insulting with the intent thereby to stir up racial hatred or where, having regard to all the circumstances, racial hatred was likely to be stirred up. Contrary to section 21(1) Public Order Act 1986.
• One count of displaying written material which was threatening, abusive or insulting with the intent thereby to stir up racial hatred or where, having regard to all the circumstances, racial hatred was likely to be stirred up. Contrary to section 18(1) Public Order Act 1986
• One count of publishing a moving image in such circumstances as to arouse reasonable suspicion that he was a member or supporter of a proscribed organisation. Contrary to section 13(1A) Terrorism Act 2000
• One count of possessing a document containing information of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism. Contrary to section 58(1)(b) Terrorism Act 2000
• Two counts of using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour thereby causing harassment, alarm or distress, and the conduct was motivated by hostility towards that persons membership of a racial group. Contrary to section 4A Public Order Act 1986 and section 31 Crime and Disorder Act 1998.
• One count of distributing a terrorist publication and at the time of doing so he intended an effect of his conduct to be a direct or indirect encouragement or other inducement to the commission, preparation, or instigation of acts of terrorism. Contrary to section 2(1) and 2(2)(a) Terrorism Act 2006.
• One count of publishing and distributing written material which was threatening with the intent thereby to stir up hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation. Contrary to section 29C Public Order Act 1986.
• One count of distributing visual images which were threatening with the intent thereby to stir up hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation. Contrary to section 29E Public Order Act 1986.