Teen pleads guilty to defacing Windrush mural with Nazi symbols

A 17-year-old from Port Talbot has admitted to terrorism and criminal damage charges after defacing a Windrush generation mural in South Wales with Nazi symbols. The teenager, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, appeared in Westminster Magistrates’ Court, facing five terrorism charges stemming from his online activities. These charges included three counts of disseminating terrorist material and two counts of possessing material likely to be useful to someone committing or preparing an act of terrorism.

In addition to the terrorism charges, the teenager faced two counts of racially aggravated criminal damage to the Windrush mural in Port Talbot and one count of homophobically aggravated criminal damage in Cardiff city centre. The mural features Donna Campbell, a nurse and daughter of the Windrush generation who passed away during the pandemic, along with her mother Lydia. The artwork also includes a merged image of the Welsh dragon and the Jamaican flag.

The defacement of the mural involved the words “Nazi zone” and several swastikas painted over it. The young offender has been released on bail to allow for the completion of a pre-sentence report. His sentencing is scheduled for August 21.