A 19-year-old man from Swansea, Alex Hutton, has been sentenced to five years and four months in prison after pleading guilty to terrorism offences and an assault motivated by hostility towards the victim’s transgender identity.
Hutton was sentenced at Winchester Crown Court on 19th September 2024.
Hutton, who had prior convictions under the Terrorism Act, was arrested in November 2023 after South Wales Police were alerted to a video on his Instagram account. In the video, Hutton claimed to have kicked an unidentified person in the head and included far-right imagery.
Following the investigation, it was revealed that the assault, which took place in May 2023 at a park in Swansea, was an unprovoked attack on a transgender girl.
Detective Chief Inspector Leanne Williams, Head of Investigations at Counter Terrorism Policing Wales, said:
“We welcome the outcome of this case. Alex Hutton, motivated by hate, engaged in a horrendous and unprovoked attack on a defenceless young girl who was minding her own business one afternoon in a Swansea park in May 2023. I hope he now uses the time in custody to reflect on his actions, with a view to leading a far more productive life upon his eventual release.”
Hutton was also found to have encouraged acts of terrorism, celebrating white supremacist ideology on social media and urging his followers to join in his extreme views.
Bethan David, Head of Counter Terrorism Division at the Crown Prosecution Service, stated:
“Alex Hutton is not simply a fantasist that held extreme views; he is a dangerous young man. His unprovoked attack was driven by hate, and he poses a substantial risk to other groups and society as a whole.”
Chief Inspector Lindsey Sweeney from South Wales Police added:
“This case involved a senseless, violent hate crime. We want to reassure the community that this behaviour will never be tolerated, and the perpetrators will be swiftly identified, arrested, and duly sent to prison.”
Where is the terrorism?