Former Tax Worker Jailed for Online Racist Incitement Following BBC Investigation

A former tax worker who described himself as a “genocidal racist monster” has been sentenced to two years in prison for inciting hatred online, following an exposé by the BBC. Thomas Webster, 29, from Lapworth in Warwickshire, pleaded guilty to ten counts of stirring up racial hatred, including calls for the extermination of Jewish and other racial groups.

Webster was also convicted of stirring up religious hatred and hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation. The offenses stemmed from comments made to an undercover journalist during the BBC Wales Investigates program, “Unmasked: Extreme Far Right.” At Warwick Crown Court, he admitted to posting content advocating for the torture and execution of Jewish and gay people, as well as the “global extinction” of Muslims.

The investigation revealed that Webster, while employed by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), deliberately provided misleading information to non-white individuals in an effort to sabotage them. He was dismissed from his position in February 2025, one month after the documentary aired. HMRC stated that it takes breaches of its standards extremely seriously and acted decisively through internal disciplinary processes.

During the trial, prosecutor Jamie Scott noted that while Webster was charged with 12 offenses, there was a “raft” of similar extremist material online. Defense attorney Susan Guest argued that Webster suffered from social anxiety and had become isolated in an online echo chamber that reinforced his views. However, Judge Anthony Potter rejected the notion of rehabilitation, stating, “Talk is very very cheap. It has allowed you to escalate your offending and propagate the most harmful views.”

Police discovered a crossbow still in its packaging at Webster’s home and noted that he had been referred four times to the government’s Prevent program since 2017 due to associations with far-right groups. Despite bail conditions restricting his internet use, BBC News identified an active Substack account shortly before his sentencing that continued to post extreme racial content, including calls for the genetic extinction of people from South Asia.

Frank Ferguson of the Crown Prosecution Service emphasized that inciting racial hatred is a serious offense that extends beyond freedom of speech debates. “It’s not just about what he might do, it’s what he might be encouraging others to do by his words,” Ferguson said. Webster will serve half of his sentence in custody and the remainder on license.