Sacked PC jailed over 'treasure trove' of weapons

A former policeman has been jailed for almost six years after counter-terrorism officers seized a haul of Nazi memorabilia and more than 100 weapons.

Andrew Campbell admitted possessing three illegal guns and a silencer that matched bullets found in searches at his home and a lock-up in Nottinghamshire.

He denied sending grossly offences messages about kidnapping and mutilating a woman he met through a different job.

Detectives say Campbell was a 'dangerous extremist', who changed his name after being sacked from the Nottinghamshire force in 2017.

Campbell was arrested by officers from Counter Terrorism East Midlands who searched his property at Nottingham Road in Toton in January 2024.

Det Insp Christopher Brett, who led the investigation, said they found a "treasure trove" of knives, knuckle-dusters, extendable batons, and lethal home-made guns.

DI Brett said they also seized boxes from a rented lock-up, containing weapons along with Swastikas and "disturbing" Nazi literature and memorabilia.

"We see the building blocks of someone who could well be a future risk to society", he added.

Nottingham Crown Court heard that Campbell had many more firearms that could be considered illegal.

The prosecution said he used a "loophole" for guns that can also fire paintballs, and only admitted charges over weapons where illegal ammunition had been recovered.

Officers recovered pointed home-made steel and resin bullets, and Campbell also owned moulds for making the ammo.

The court heard he was interested "not only in their power but in their capacity to injure".

Videos were recovered showing Campbell testing modified firearms by shooting into boxes and buckets stuffed with towels, the court heard.

Campbell's devices contained a photo of a gun alongside a message from him saying Pro-Palestine demonstrators "need some of this".

In another message, he insulted Muslim people and wrote "knock knock, bang bang".

He also sent messages about owning potentially deadly firearms, saying "the government would rather you got stabbed in a home invasion".

Campbell first made headlines after being dismissed from Nottinghamshire Police in April 2017, when he was known as Graeme Thornhill.

A gross misconduct hearing found he used excessive and disproportionate force against an erratic driver who was taking his young son to hospital.

PC Thornhill sprayed the father's face with CS gas and struck him with a baton but denied it was a racially-motivated attack.

On Thursday, Campbell denied further charges of possessing flick or gravity knives, and sending two grossly offensive messages.

A previous court hearing was told Campbell sent two WhatsApp posts about how he would kidnap, starve and mutilate a woman he knew.

Campbell will appear before magistrates to face those charges at a later date.

Campbell, 42, denied two further offences of possessing documents useful to a terrorist. Those charges relate to manuals for making lethal weapons at home.

The prosecution agreed not to proceed with those terrorism offences, but Det Insp Brett says he posed a "really significant danger".

"Ultimately my teams and I are focussed on making sure we stop future terrorist attacks," he said.

"The people who move towards those attacks and complete them have trodden very similar pathways in the past so it's really important to take people off the streets before they get to that point".

In mitigation, Jonathan Duffy KC said Campbell no longer held these extremist views and was "ashamed".

He said Campbell was a collector with a special interest in weapons and was autistic.

Sentencing Campbell to five years and 10 months in prison, Judge Nirmal Shant KC said his white supremacist views were "abhorrent".

But she added he was legally entitled to hold those views and they were not reflected in the sentencing.

Det Insp Brett says the fact Campbell used to be a police officer was also a serious concern.

"It is really challenging to those of us who are police officers. Rightfully we are held and hold ourselves to a high standard," he said.

"So there is part of me that is glad to be able to make sure we can address these individuals who have stepped away from that and brought disrespect to our profession as well.

"But also it is about that core mission of making sure we are protecting people in the future".

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