UK jury convicts neo-Nazi couple that named son after Hitler

A British couple with neo-Nazi views who named their son after Adolf Hitler has been convicted of membership in an outlawed far-right group.

A jury at Birmingham Crown Court in central England on Monday found 22-year-old Adam Thomas and 38-year-old Claudia Patatas guilty of being members of National Action. A third defendant, Daniel Bogunovic, was also convicted.

During the trial, jurors were shown photos of Thomas holding his baby son — who was given the middle name Adolf — while wearing the white robes of the racist Ku Klux Klan and while holding a flag with a swastika.

The UK government banned National Action in 2016 after lawmaker Jo Cox was murdered by a far-right extremist, with prosecutors calling it “extreme and violent.”

In a surprise development, Thomas last month told the court that he spent nearly two years in Israel when he was 18, planned to convert to Judaism, and wished to serve in the country’s armed forces.

'Neo-Nazi' dad pictured 'dressed in KKK robes while holding baby son he called Adolf after Hitler'

Adam Thomas, 22, and his partner, Claudia Patatas, 38, are accused of being members of the banned far-right group National Action#edl #dfla #antifa #ukip https://t.co/Pg77Fe59pZ

— Marmite Marmz ???? (@marmitemarmz) October 15, 2018

Thomas also admitted in court that he was a racist but denied being a member of National Action.

He described the pictures of himself in KKK garb as “just play” but said he gave his baby the middle name Adolf to reflect his “admiration” of Hitler.

“It definitely doubles up as the name of Adolf Hitler,” he said under questioning. “It’s undeniable and I don’t make a secret of it. It does reflect an interest in that topic and admiration for what it represents.”

He also added that the name Adolf was not controversial in Portugal, where Patatas is originally from.

A student who studied at Machon Meir yeshiva in Jerusalem with Thomas told The Times of Israel that at the time, Thomas went by the Hebrew name Avi. The student described him as “a lost boy with a good heart.”

Thomas was expelled from school at the age of 14 for his racist views. He was reported to the UK’s counter-extremism program, Prevent, which arranged for him to meet a Holocaust survivor.

During the trial, jurors were told that Nazi and far-right memorabilia, and National Action flags, badges and banners, were found at the home of Thomas and Patatas. Police also allegedly found an “extensive” collection of weapons, including an ax under their bed and two machetes, one with a serrated 18-inch (46-centimeter) blade, during searches after the couple were arrested on terrorism charges in January.

A digital copy of “The Anarchist Cookbook” was found, containing chapters headed “Making plastic explosive,” “Letter bombs,” and “Molotov cocktails,” the court was told. Thomas denied a separate charge of having “The Anarchist Cookbook.”

Police also discovered one of two crossbows just a few feet from the baby’s crib, prosecutors said.

Robert Philpot contributed to this report.