Weapons found at 'neo-Nazi terrorist' prison officer's home, jury told

A bow and arrows, an eight-inch knife and an axe were found at the home of a West Yorkshire prison officer accused of being a neo-Nazi terrorist, a court has heard.

Ashley Podsiad-Sharp, 42, is alleged to have set up a club to train like-minded right-wing extremists.

The HMP Leeds worker sent rap songs glorifying Hitler to the group online, a Sheffield Crown Court jury heard.

Mr Podsiad-Sharp denies possessing and disseminating terrorist documents.

The prison officer, from the Barnsley area, is alleged to have been the founder of a group called the White Stag Athletics Club and created a channel for the group on the messaging app Telegram, where he called himself "Sarge".

On 20 March last year, Mr Podsiad-Sharp posted a link to an archive of music by Mr Bond, a rapper who has been jailed in Austria after publishing spoof versions of popular songs with extreme right-wing and racist lyrics, the court heard.

Dozens of the artist's songs were played to the jury in court, including a version of Teenage Dirtbag by Wheatus which features lyrics about being a "teenage Nazi".

Prosecutors also played spoofs of songs by Jay-Z and the Proclaimers that mocked the death of Jewish people in the Holocaust.

Denise Breen-Lawton, prosecuting, said the defendant accepted posting the link to the songs but claimed they were simply "comedic parodies" which were no more offensive or provocative than "mainstream rap music or other art forms".

She told the jury that this defence "in itself demonstrates his true views - racist and terrorist views".

Jurors on Friday also examined a large bow and arrows, three knives, an axe and masks which were found in Mr Podsiad-Sharp's home and vehicle.

Ms Breen-Lawton said the defendant had trained "like a soldier" and kept himself fit for the "coming conflict", as set out in a publication in his possession called the White Resistance Manual.

The white supremacist handbook, which contains advice on how to kill people using various weapons, was found on Mr Podsiad-Sharp's laptop in an encrypted "virtual safe", the court has heard.

Mr Podsiad-Sharp has pleaded not guilty to disseminating a terrorist document and possession of a document containing information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.

The trial continues.

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