Neo-Nazi leader Sam Melia has been released from prison as part of an early release program.
Sam Melia, a neo-Nazi who was previously jailed for stirring up racial hatred, has been released from prison after serving only ten months of his two-year sentence as part of the early release scheme to free up jail space.
Samuel Melia, aged 34, was convicted in 2024 of inciting racial hatred following a series of "stickering" incidents that occurred between 2019 and 2021. Melia, a resident of Pudsey in West Yorkshire, received a two-year prison sentence at Leeds Crown Court on Friday. At the sentencing, the judge branded him an "antisemite" with "Nazi sympathies".
Judge Tom Bayliss KC said: "The publication of this kind of material is corrosive to our society." Melia served as the leader of the Telegram Messenger group known as Hundred Handers, a social media platform that produced stickers characterized by racist and anti-immigration sentiments, which were subsequently printed and exhibited in public areas. The stickers featured derogatory terms aimed at minority communities, reflecting a profound hostility towards these groups, as presented in court.
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The court was informed that Melia exhibited an "obsessive interest" in Sir Oswald Mosley, the founder of the British Union of Fascists during the 1930s, and that he was endeavoring to "promote similar antisemitic views." In his garage, Melia possessed a poster of Hitler, while a book authored by Mosley was located in his bedroom. It was also revealed that a significant portion of the material published by Hundred Handers was characterized as "xenophobic, nationalistic, and vitriolic."
Judge Bayliss said: "For the first time since the 1930s, a real risk of gross, potentially violent, antisemitism is becoming normalised on our streets.
"It has been used before to tear at the heart of Western democracy.
"It must not be allowed to do so again." Following the arrest of Melia by the police in April 2021, a search of his residence revealed a label printer along with stickers bearing anti-immigration slogans. The court had previously been informed that the Hundred Handers Telegram channel boasted over 3,500 subscribers, and an anti-immigration sticker was affixed to the door of a Member of Parliament's constituency office. Additionally, it was reported that media coverage of the "stickering" activities associated with the group spanned from Cornwall to Northern Ireland.
The judge told Melia: "I am quite sure that your mindset is that of a racist and a white supremacist.
"You hold Nazi sympathies and you are an antisemite." Melia, who was additionally convicted of inciting racially aggravated criminal damage, received a sentence of two years for each offense, to be served concurrently. He is required to serve a minimum of half of his sentence in custody prior to being released on license.
Det Ch Sup James Dunkerley, head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East, said: "Those that seek to bring hatred to our communities through actions such as stickering will be identified and brought to justice."
