The courts have found that a neo-Nazi extremist by the name of Cavan Medlock, had planned a terrorist attack on Duncan Lewis, an immigration law firm in London.
On 07th September 2020, the defendant visited the law firm demanding to see one of the partners. After being unable to see him, the defendant physically attacked, racially abused and insulted many members of staff. Whilst under restraint at the office, the defendant declared that he had planned to attack and kill the partner he had been asking for and was found in possession of two flags, the flag of the Confederate South of the United States of America and a Swastika flag.
The defendants’ motives were deeply rooted by his extremist beliefs, and he told the police that he wanted to stop the firm helping immigrants. He had chosen this firm and its partner as they had been named in the Daily Mail article a few days prior.
He was indicted for six offences namely, preparation of a terrorist attack, threatening with a bladed article in a public place, battery, the racially aggravated causing of harassment, alarm or distress and making a threat to kill. He was detained either in prison but mostly in secure hospital settings as he was declared unwell with a mental disorder. Numerous reports had been written by different psychiatrists all reaching the same conclusion that he has been suffering from an untreated psychotic illness, such as schizotypal personality disorder, autistic spectrum disorder or schizophrenia and that he was not fit to stand trial.
The defendant was found to have been suffering from a mental disorder of a violent nature and that he poses a real danger to others and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. He was therefore sentenced with a hospital order with restrictions under section 37 and 41 of the Mental Health Act 1983 and under section 5 of the Criminal Procedure (Insanity) Act 1964.