Welsh Teenager's Disturbing School Massacre Plot Uncovered by Police
A teenage admirer of Adolf Hitler who threatened to carry out a deadly attack at his college has been sentenced after police discovered a chilling 'Mass Murderer' manifesto and videos of him performing Nazi salutes. Theodore Hopes, aged 18, made alarming comments about "planning a school shooting" when armed officers visited his father's residence in Llandrindod Wells, Wales, on December 8 last year.
Arrest and Initial Discoveries
During the police visit, authorities seized an air rifle, which was later confirmed to be legally owned. Hopes was subsequently taken to Brecon police station, where a healthcare practitioner treated a minor cut on his hands sustained from punching an oven. The sentencing hearing at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court revealed that numerous items belonging to Hopes were confiscated, including a mobile phone containing a trove of disturbing material.
Among the contents were images of Samurai swords, a video showing Hopes watching Adolf Hitler footage while making a Nazi salute, an English translation of Mein Kampf, and visits to websites dedicated to guns and air rifles. Further investigation uncovered even more alarming evidence, such as websites selling human skulls and bones, research on constructing pipe bombs, mass suicides, secondary school attacks, terrorist incidents, and press reports detailing school knife attacks.
Chilling Conversations and Manifesto
Hopes, residing at Broadway House in Llandrindod Wells, pleaded guilty to making threats to kill. During his interaction with the healthcare practitioner, he was questioned about self-harm and previous suicide attempts. When asked if he intended to kill people, Hopes responded, "I can't. They have taken my gun away from me but I can still go in and stab people."
Prosecutor Jason Howells stated that the teenager claimed he "dreamed about killing people" and expressed a desire to enter Newtown College, where he was a student, to "shoot people." When prompted to identify his intended targets, Hopes provided a name but offered no further details. Regarding his own fate, he remarked, "Suicide by police." The practitioner noted that Hopes spoke in a "calm, cold, and matter-of-fact way" and appeared "dead behind the eyes." However, during later interviews, Hopes asserted he had no memory of the conversation and denied any plans to execute a "school shooting."
A thorough search of Hopes' mobile phone revealed a nine-page document titled 'Theo Hopes Mass Murderer,' addressed to political parties, media organisations, and the Dyfed-Powys Police and Crime Commissioner. The subheading read, "Manifesto, the end of Theo Hopes." In his sentencing remarks, Recorder Paul Lewis KC indicated that Hopes intended the document to be distributed to the recipients following "the commission of a serious crime and [his] ultimate death."
Sentencing and Mitigating Factors
The court heard that Hopes had no prior criminal record. In mitigation, his defence attorney Martha Smith-Higgins described her client as a "remorseful" young man. She attributed his access to such extreme material to isolation stemming from mental health issues, coupled with alcohol and drug use. Two referrals had been made to the Prevent programme in an effort to deter him from viewing this content, and he has since been prescribed medication.
Recorder Lewis noted that Hopes' attitudes had been characterised as "misogynistic and far right." The judge emphasised, "You have developed troubling and potentially dangerous thoughts and ideas. You are a young man with troubled attitudes and beliefs. You have a fascination with weapons, bombs, school attacks, and Nazi materials."
Considering that Hopes had already spent three and a half months in custody, Recorder Lewis determined that probation offered the most effective path forward. Consequently, Hopes received a two-year community order with a 30-day rehabilitation activity requirement. Additionally, he was subjected to a 12-month prohibited activity requirement, mandating that his phone and SIM card be monitored by probation services to prevent further engagement with harmful content.
