Satanist actor found guilty of possessing extreme right-wing material

A self-proclaimed satanist actor who claimed he made a pact with a “red-horned devil” has been found guilty of possessing extreme right-wing material.

Former Brit School of Performing Arts student Declan George Candiani, 26, was stopped by counter-terrorism police at Stansted airport as he attempted to go on holiday to Finland with his girlfriend, on August 13, 2024.

On seeing the contents of his phone, officers arrested him and searched the home he shares with his mother in Streatham, south-west London.

An examination of Candiani’s iPhone and iPad revealed a cache of extreme right-wing material, including “manifestos” of mass killers and documents advocating the use of serious violence to achieve white supremacy.

Candiani denied wrongdoing, claiming he was mainly interested in satanism and the occult.

On Friday, he was found guilty of two charges of collecting information likely to be useful for terrorism and was acquitted of two similar offences.

During the trial, jurors were presented with details of the “horrific” material Candiani had on his devices.

In Hater’s Handbook, the leader of the Satanic neo-Nazi group Maniac Murder Cult claimed to have “murdered for the white race” and promoted the likes of mass killer Anders Breivik.

A document entitled 21 Silent Techniques of Killing outlined close contact “assassination” with a spike, knife, and nunchucks.

In a police interview, Candiani claimed he had downloaded material after becoming interested in the satanic group Order of Nine Angles (O9A), which has been linked with right-wing extremism.

Giving evidence in court, Candiani described being visited by a “red-horned devil” in his bedroom, who told him: “You see me now Declan, you worship me.”

He told jurors he agreed to be his “minion,” saying: “I did literally make a pact with the devil.”

His mental health suffered, and he went down a “rabbit hole” after his mother was diagnosed with cancer, the court was told.

The defendant told jurors: “At that time, I was dealing a lot with my mum and just hated the world and I was very angry and upset and hated everything and everyone.”

Candiani accepted that he had a tattoo on his chest bearing a neo-Nazi symbol 88 – meaning Heil Hitler.

He also admitted applying to join a right-wing extremist group, Active Club, but said he later got “cold feet.”

However, Candiani told jurors he was not interested in terror attacks or hurting anyone.

He said he did not remember looking at a lot of the terrorist material, saying it must have been downloaded “inadvertently.”

Candiani was assessed by psychiatrists who found he had a “mild personality disorder” and was fit to stand trial, despite his claim to hear voices and see the devil.

Experts agreed the symptoms he described were not psychosis but a manifestation of his own personality.

The jury deliberated for nine hours and 18 minutes to reach its verdicts.

Judge Nigel Lickley KC granted Candiani continued bail ahead of a sentencing hearing on November 28.