James Costello, a 38-year-old man from Kirkby, has been sentenced to five years in prison for 19 offences of stirring up racial hatred. Costello, who was a leading figure in a white supremacist movement, created a website that was filled with racist material.
The criminal investigation was launched by Merseyside Police in July 2021 after several members of the public reported finding stickers on lampposts across Merseyside advertising the racist website. Detectives and uniformed police officers executed search warrants and arrested Costello on suspicion of running the website. During the search, officers discovered a significant amount of racist material linked to the website.
Merseyside Police lawfully seized the website and replaced it with a splash screen indicating that it had been seized by the police. Additionally, a Twitter account used to promote the site was closed down. The investigation revealed that Costello was a prominent figure in the “Creativity Movement,” a white supremacist racist movement that pays homage to the Nazi 3rd Reich.
Costello was arrested twice during the investigation, in August and September 2021. On Monday, January 9, he was charged with multiple counts of stirring up racial hatred. Following the sentencing, Detective Chief Inspector Andy Milligan expressed gratitude to the members of the public who reported the racist website, allowing them to launch a criminal investigation.
Milligan also thanked the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division for their collaboration, which led to this result. He emphasised that the investigation team worked diligently to identify Costello as the main contributor to the website and seize the material. With the control of the website in the hands of Merseyside Police’s cybercrime officers, the reach and impact of the racist white supremacist organization, Creativity Movement, were significantly undermined.
The offensive material uncovered during the investigation was condemned as deplorable. Milligan acknowledged that such material could have caused serious tensions, anguish, and violence in the community. He emphasised that online hate will not be tolerated and that online offenders are not anonymous. Merseyside Police take reports of this nature seriously and will continue to work hard to unmask and prosecute online offenders. The hate material will be destroyed, and those responsible for creating it will be prosecuted and jailed for their crimes.
Members of the public are encouraged to report any racist material, websites, or social media accounts to Merseyside Police by contacting @MerPolCC or calling 101. Alternatively, they can provide information anonymously to Crimestoppers through their online form or by calling 0800 555 111.
