Man who told police he ‘made a pact with the devil’ jailed over extreme material
A man who said he “made a deal with the devil” to “help” police has been jailed after he was found carrying guides to carry out “lone wolf attacks”.
Counter-terrorism police stopped Declan George-Candiani, 26, at Stansted Airport in August 2024. Their devices were seized and officers found terrorism-related documents on them, including guides on how to carry out “dangerous attacks involving extreme violence”.
In a police interview, George-Candiani, of Streatham, told officers he began accessing the material after taking an interest in a far-right group advocating “traditional Satanism”.
He claimed he had a “possessive mentality” and said he made a “deal with the devil” to be “helpful”. He also said he developed an “unhealthy obsession” with the ideology, which “overwhelmed” him in a way he “couldn’t control.”
But prosecutors alleged he deliberately accessed and downloaded far-right material because of his interest in extremist ideology.
Following a hearing at the Old Bailey, he was convicted on 3 October under section 58(1) of the Terrorism Act 2000 of two counts of collecting material likely to be useful to a terrorist. The jury found him not guilty twice more of the same crime.
On November 28, he was sentenced to 23 months behind bars.
Following the sentencing, Commander Dominic Murphy, head of London’s Counter Terrorism Police, said George-Candiani was carrying “appalling material” about “acts of extreme violence”.
“This is another example of why ‘Schedule 7’ powers at our ports and borders are so important to help us detect potential terrorist activity,” Commander Murphy said.
“In this case, analysis of digital devices revealed downloads of horrific material promoted by far-right terrorist groups, as well as highly dangerous material related to the perpetration of attacks and other acts of extreme violence.”
