A man from Willesden has been jailed for three years after police found terrorism and indecent images material on his mobile phones during an investigation.
Vitor Dias, 21, was sentenced at the Old Bailey on 24 April following an investigation by the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command and the Wembley Online Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation unit.
Police first attended Dias’s address on 17 May 2022 as part of a separate investigation into indecent images of children being posted online. He was not arrested at the time, but two phones were seized and later analysed.
Officers found a large amount of extreme right-wing terrorist material, including documents on how to make explosives, firearms, and ammunition.
Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “This case demonstrates that we will arrest and prosecute anyone accessing terrorist material.
“I am grateful to the work of colleagues in the Wembley Online Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation unit who uncovered Dias’s offending after his phones were seized.
“This case was also a successful example of the use of risk management software installed on the devices of those convicted of sexual offences.
“This case demonstrates that units from across the Met are committed to safeguarding vulnerable victims and specialist resources from counter terrorism will support the excellent work of officers and staff. Their excellent work allowed my officers to uncover the threat Dias posed.”
Dias was arrested in September 2022 and later charged in October 2023 with four offences under the Terrorism Act for having documents useful for terrorist purposes. He admitted all charges at the Old Bailey in August 2024.
Separately, a police investigation led to more charges. In December 2024, Dias pleaded guilty at Willesden Magistrates’ Court to having extreme pornographic images and making an indecent image of a child (category B). Another charge, involving a category C image, will not be pursued.
He was already on the Sex Offenders Register and under a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, both lasting five years, due to a previous conviction in March 2023 for making and possessing indecent and prohibited images of children.
As part of the most recent sentencing, Dias was given a new 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
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