A racist prison officer who “idolises Hitler” and founded a fitness club for fascists has been jailed for possessing a “murder manual” for white supremacists.
Ashley Podsiad Sharp, a self-professed neo-Nazi, went to “considerable lengths” to conceal the 200-page publication on his devices, but the “manual for murder, terrorist acts, and how to evade capture” was discovered by counterterrorism officers last year, a court has heard.
Podsiad Sharp, also known as Ashley Neil Sharp, from Barnsley, was sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court to eight years imprisonment after being found guilty at trial for possessing a document that may be of use to a terrorist.
The 42-year-old was serving as a prison officer at HMP Armley in Leeds at the time of the offence, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC noted in his sentencing remarks.
Judge Richardson described how Podsiad Sharp created a “cauldron of self-absorbed neo-Nazism masquerading as a low grade all-male sports club”, named the White Stag Athletic Club, to recruit and train other “disaffected and disillusioned white men” who shared his views.
He used this club as a front to mask his real purpose - to incite violence against those he hated, the judge said.
The “vile” and “dangerous” publication Podsiad Sharp possessed – entitled The White Resistance Manual – includes sections on committing arson, poisoning people and sabotaging public utilities and communication systems.
Addressing Podsiad Sharp, the judge said: “I have no doubt whatsoever you harboured terrorist intentions and your motivation was terrorism.”
He also questioned what, if any, vetting process was undertaken by the prison service when Podsiad Sharp was hired, adding: “I have absolutely no doubt that a man with the perverted and extremely dangerous views you hold should never be employed in the responsible position of a prison officer.”
Podsiad Sharp was fired from his job with the Prison Service following his arrest.
He must serve an additional five years on licence following his release from prison and will be subject to a serious crime prevention order which restricts his use of the internet.
Delivering his sentence Judge Richardson said Podsiad Sharp displayed “not one iota of remorse”, rather, the reverse: “You revel in this swamp of malignant racialist views which leads you to harbour terrorist material, and one day - I have no doubt - one of your number would have indulged in a terrorist act directed towards the people you hate.”
Detective Chief Superintendent James Dunkerley, head of Counter-Terrorism Policing North East, said: “Tackling extremist and instructional material is an essential part of protecting the public and preventing it from potentially influencing or informing the actions of others.
“We will prosecute anyone found to be in possession of such material and will continue work with our partners to remove content of concern from online platforms.”
