19-year-old man charged with terrorism and explosives offences after arrest in Cheshire

A teenager has been charged with possession of explosives and terrorism offences, following his arrest in northwest England.

Vaughn Conrad John Dolphin, from Aldridge in Walsall, was arrested on the night of 27 June at an address in Cheshire on suspicion of terror offences, West Midlands Police said.

Police listed a total of 10 charges levelled against him on Monday, including eight counts under the Terrorism Act and two under the Explosive Substances Act.

The 19-year-old will appear at London’s Westminster Magistrates Court on Tuesday to face the charges, the force said.

He is accused of being in possession of explosive substances, and faces six counts of possessing documents likely to be useful to someone committing or preparing an act of terrorism, police said.

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He also faces two counts of sharing material online which could encourage acts of terrorism.

In February, the UK’s security services lowered their assessment of the threat posed by terrorism to “substantial” from “severe”, meaning a future attack is judged to be likely but not highly likely.

In its statement on Monday evening, West Midlands Police said: “Our Counter Terrorism Unit has charged a teenager with possessing explosive material and manuals on how to make improvised explosives and firearms.”

“Today he was charged with eight counts under the Terrorism Act and two under the Explosive Substances Act,” they added.

Additional reporting by Reuters