Pair who named baby after Hitler sentenced for involvement in far-right group

Image: Claudia Patatas and Adam Thomas pose with their son, whose middle na
Claudia Patatas and Adam Thomas pose with their son, whose middle name is Adolf. Copyright West Midlands Police
Copyright West Midlands Police
By Elisha Fieldstadt and Reuters with NBC News World News
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"Their aim was to spread neo-Nazi ideology by provoking a race war in the UK and they had spent years acquiring the skills to carry this out," said West Midlands Police chief Matt Ward.

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A British couple who named their child after Adolf Hitler was sentenced Tuesday to a combined 11-plus years in jail for their involvement with an outlawed far-right group.

Adam Thomas, 22, was sentenced to six years and six months in jail after he was convicted in November of belonging to an illegal organization and possessing information that would be useful in committing an act of terrorism, according to Birmingham Crown Court documents.

Claudia Patatas, 38, was sentenced to five years in jail after she was convicted of belonging to an illegal organization.

During the trial, prosecutors said the pair gave their baby the middle name "Adolf" as a tribute to Hitler, according to Reuters.

They were found guilty of being members of the National Action, a far-right group that was banned after members of the group lauded the murder of Labour Party lawmaker Jo Cox by a far-right extremist in 2016.

Thomas was also convicted on a count connected to his possession of "The Anarchist's Cookbook," a book of instructions on how to construct weapons and explosives.

"These individuals were not simply racist fantasists; we now know they were a dangerous, well-structured organization," said West Midlands Police chief Matt Ward. "Their aim was to spread neo-Nazi ideology by provoking a race war in the UK and they had spent years acquiring the skills to carry this out."

Four other members of the group — Daniel Bogunovic, Darren Fletcher, Joel Wilmore, and Nathan Pryke — were also sentenced Tuesday to five or more years in jail for their involvement in National Action.

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