Jail for British Vlogger Whose Videos ‘Inspired’ Mass Shooter in Buffalo

Defence lawyer says his client has refused to be assessed for autism

An undated image of Daniel Harris, who was convicted of encouraging terrorism and was jailed at Manchester Crown Court in England on Jan. 27, 2023. (Derbyshire Police)

A British vlogger who called for armed insurrection and espoused white supremacist causes has been jailed for 11 years and six months by a judge in England.

Daniel Harris, 19, was convicted at Manchester Crown Court in November of five charges of encouraging terrorism—by publishing videos on a far-right website between February 2021 and April 2022—but was found not guilty on one charge.

He was also convicted of possession of material for terrorist purposes, which related to an attempt to make a carbine rifle on a 3D printer.

Some of the videos Harris produced were watched by Payton Gendron, who shot dead 10 people at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, in May 2022.

The court heard Harris, from Glossop in Derbyshire, had also made a “celebratory” video after the Buffalo massacre.

Ten people, all African Americans, were shot at a Tops supermarket in Buffalo. Among the dead was Aaron Salter, 55, a retired police officer who was working as a security guard and had tried to stop Gendron, who livestreamed the attack on the gaming app Twitch.

Payton Gendron is led into the courtroom for a hearing at Erie County Court in Buffalo, N.Y., on May 19, 2022. (Matt Rourke/AP Photo)

Gendron wrote a 180-page “manifesto,” and for the cover he used an image from a video in which Harris called for people to take up arms against a “planned genocide” of white Europeans.

Harris has convictions for common assault, criminal damage, and possession of indecent images of children, and was convicted of racially-aggravated criminal damage after he attacked a memorial to George Floyd in Manchester.

At a sentencing hearing on Thursday, the court heard he published videos praising Brenton Tarrant—the Australian white supremacist who shot dead 51 people at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in March 2019—and Anders Breivik, a neo-Nazi who shot dead 69 young people at a Norwegian Labour Party youth camp in July 2011.

Harris Called Mosque Killer an ‘Australian Saint’

Harris referred to Tarrant as an “Australian saint” and another user of the far-right website commented: “This video has moved me. I was on the fence, now I am committed to my race.”

Gendron then replied to that comment, “You are not alone my friend.”

Prosecutor John Allman told the hearing, “The prosecution maintain that Mr. Gendron was inspired by Mr. Harris’s material.”

The court was told there was also a link between Harris and Anderson Lee Aldrich, who has been charged with the murder of five people at a gay nightclub in Colorado in November.

The prosecutor said Harris’s video was posted on the “brother site” to a website that linked to a livestream of Aldrich preparing to carry out his attack at Club Q in Colorado Springs.

Allman said, “The Crown say it demonstrates that individuals of the greatest concern have accessed the material produced by Mr. Harris.”

An undated image of the remains of Daniel Harris's attempt to make a carbine rifle on a 3D printer at his grandfather's home in Glossop, England. (Derbyshire Police)

James Walker, defending, said, “Daniel Harris is pragmatic enough to realise there is very little that can actually be said by way of mitigation.”

But he went on to point out that Harris had been withdrawn from school by his mother at the age of 7 and had since lived with his grandfather.

‘Disgraceful Failings by ... His Family’

Walker said, “There have been quite disgraceful failings by both his family and the local authority.”

He said his client had refused to be assessed for autism but he said there were “ongoing social problems.”

Following his conviction, Derbyshire Police published a statement about their dealings with Harris.

Detective Inspector Chris Brett said: “Due to his age and previous offending, we initially attempted to engage with Harris through the Prevent programme, but it soon became clear he was pretending to be deradicalised whilst encouraging terrorism online. The threat he caused meant we had to act in order to ensure the safety of the wider public.”

Brett said Harris had “clearly demonstrated a disdain for law enforcement and public order, as well as an admiration for those who had committed atrocities in terrorist attacks overseas.”

“By posting these videos online, Harris’ toxic rhetoric could have had untold influence on countless people across the world. Such actions will not be tolerated,” he added.

In November Gendron pleaded guilty to murder and hate-motivated terrorism charges and faces life imprisonment without parole.

Gendron, who lived three hours away from Buffalo in Conklin, posted his “manifesto” online shortly before the attack and said he had chosen his target because it was in a predominantly black neighbourhood.

Erie County District Attorney John Flynn told the November hearing every one of the victims was chosen because of their race and said Gendron apologised to a white person during the attack.

PA Media contributed to this report.