Ex-soldier jailed over bookshop terror plot

An ex-soldier who planned to burn down a left-wing bookshop in Nottingham has been jailed for nearly five years. 

William Howitt, 27, of West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, wrote a detailed guide on his phone to carry out an arson attack on Five Leaves Bookshop. The plan included painting a swastika and “white lives matter” on the wall and referenced smashing the windows of the bookshop and dousing books and upholstery with petrol.     

He was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court on Wednesday (20th December) after he was found guilty of preparing a terrorist act in November.  

Howitt was jailed for four and a half years for preparing a terrorist act and four months consecutively for perverting the course of justice after he got someone else to take the blame for a speeding offence. 

Sentencing, Judge Paul Farrer KC said Howitt’s arson attack plan was "at best inept, at worse nonsensical", and written in a hotel room late at night under the influence of cocaine and alcohol during a period of low mood and low self-esteem. 

However, he said, Howitt had "entrenched right-wing views" which had developed since leaving the Army.

Judge Farrer said: “You were virulently antisemitic, anti-Islam and opposed to the left-wing, you glorified Hitler and were sympathetic to acts of terror towards those you disapproved of.

“You received and shared pro-Nazi and rabidly antisemitic videos and you sent messages expressing your hatred of Jews and the left-wing.

“In this country we are fortunate to live in a tolerant society where freedom of belief and expression are of fundamental importance, but it is where your views led you that bring you before this court.”

Judge Farrer said Howitt chose the Five Leaves bookshop as a target because it was “the embodiment of everything you detested”.

He said: “Probably because of intoxication, parts of your plan were at best inept, at worse nonsensical.

“You listed the equipment you would need including petrol, a lighter, an air pistol, a knife, tarpaulin, a balaclava, contact gloves. You already owned several of these items.

“Having completed and saved your plan, you went to bed and sobered up.

“You told the jury you would do things when drunk you would forget the following day. However, in the following days, the glass hammer and tarpaulin arrived at your address and you cannot have forgotten you created plan A.

“Despite this, there is no evidence you ever visited the note again or sought to progress your plan.

“Having heard the evidence, it is possible and probable when you woke the following day you no longer had a settled intention to attack the bookshop.

“As time progressed you simply forgot about it altogether. But following this, you maintained your extreme right-wing views.”

A victim impact statement was read to the court on behalf of Fives Leaves bookshop owner Ross Bradshaw who said customers had been supportive but the matter had been "hanging over" staff since March. 

"With thousands of titles, we’d be surprised if every customer liked all our books” he said, but stressed “our commitment to diversity runs with the grain of bookselling”. 

“If you don’t like our shop, just walk away... don’t plan to burn us down. We are pleased to say that immediately our trade association heard about this case we were offered their full support.” 

He said the fact Howitt was a former soldier made his arson plan much worse, adding: "He set out to damage our lives but succeeded in damaging his own. We can only hope that after this is all over he is able to secure help from SSAFA or the British Legion, to help him integrate back into society, so that no other bookshop — no other person — will be subject to anything similar from him."

Nick Price, head of the Crown Prosecution Service Special Crime & Counter Terrorism Division, said in a statement after the sentencing: "His plan to carry out the arson attack was fuelled by his anger and hatred towards those whose views who were strongly opposed to his own. 

"Howitt’s drafting of the plan was accompanied by the purchase of two items and an attempt to obtain a third. 

"It was clear this was not a fantastical creation without intent — he planned to carry out the attack."