Army chef sentenced over homemade gun and explosives
Court heard he was in contact with three convicted terrorists
An army chef who was arrested while working at Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire has been sentenced to 46 months after a homemade gun and explosive ingredients including gunpowder were found in his bedroom.
Mark Broadhurst was arrested by Counter Terrorism Police North East on 25th September 2024.
A search of his home in Chesterfield uncovered a homemade firearm and explosive powders.
Broadhurst pleaded guilty at Sheffield Crown Court to possessing explosives and possessing a firearm without a firearm certificate.
A Newton hearing on 3rd August 2026 then established that he was in possession of an explosive substance and that his offending had a "terrorist connection".
He was sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court on 14th October 2026.
Contact with convicted terrorists
The court heard evidence that Broadhurst had been communicating with Christopher Ringrose, Brogan Stewart and Marco Pitzettu for nearly two years on Facebook and Telegram.
The three men are now convicted terrorists, and the court heard they shared far-right and extremist views with Broadhurst.
Ringrose, Stewart and Pitzettu were jailed for a combined total of 29 years last year.
They were convicted of planning an act of terrorism, along with multiple other terrorism and firearms offences targeting Jewish and Muslim communities in the north of England.
Prosecution comment
Frank Ferguson, Head of the Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division at the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "Mark Broadhurst was clearly interested in violence and developing weapons that had the ability to cause untold harm to innocent people."
"He was immersed in extremist material and maintained close contact with three now-convicted terrorists inspired by SS tactics and supremacist ideology over a prolonged period."
"The prosecution was able to use evidence from Broadhurst's own devices and online communications, which meant he had little choice but to admit his guilt. There was simply no legitimate or lawful explanation for Broadhurst having these illegal weapons and explosives inside his bedroom."
"Where individuals acquire weapons or explosives to further their extremist beliefs, we will always work closely with Counter Terrorism Policing to make sure they are brought before the courts and any terrorist activity is disrupted at an early stage."