A couple who are accused of being members of a banned far-right group named their baby after Adolf Hitler, a court has heard.

Adam Thomas, 22 and Claudia Patatas, 38, gave their child the middle name of Adolf, which prosecutors say is in honour of the Nazi dictator.

The pair, both from Banbury, are accused of being members of banned neo-Nazi group National Action and are on trial in Birmingham Crown Court alongside Daniel Bogunovic, from Leicester.

The prosecution said Thomas, 27, and Patatas were pictured with Darren Fletcher, who is a convicted racist and a "vehement Nazi", with Fletcher holding a Swastika flag and performing a Nazi salute over their child.

The photo was discovered after the couple's arrest in January, the court heard.


Fletcher, 28, has previous convictions for dressing as a Klansman and hanging a golliwog from a noose on stage in 2014.

Barnaby Jameson, prosecuting, warned jurors as he opened the case they may find some evidence "upsetting and disturbing".

Image: The child was named after Adolf Hitler, the prosecution says

He said Thomas and Bogunovic had a "particular interest" in owning machetes and that bomb-making instructions were found on Thomas' computer.

Speaking about the baby, Mr Jameson told jurors: "The Crown can tell you that one of his middle names was Adolf.

"Given that the child was born almost a year after National Action was banned, you may think the use of the name 'Adolf' - even as a middle name - was of significance."

He added: "This case is a specific type of terror.

"It is a terror that regards anyone who falls outside a cult of violent white racial supremacy as sub-human.

"Those that fall into the sub-human category are primarily blacks, Jews and Asians."

The jury heard Bogunovic was among four men convicted earlier this year of stirring up racial hatred after plastering National Action stickers over Aston University campus in Birmingham.

Thomas and Bogunovic both had pictures of an arsenal of weaponry built up by Mikko Vehvilainen on their phones.

National Action was banned in December 2016 after the murder of Jo Cox.

Patatas, Thomas and Bogunovic deny all the charges and the trial is expected to last four weeks.