When he was arrested he was unarmed but when police searched his home they found an axe and a machete. He had posted a message on a far-right Facebook group saying he was 'going to war' and he planned to 'slaughter every single one of the gay b*******'.
Stables was arrested by armed police on 23 June 2018 as he walked towards the New Empire pub in Barrow, after receiving a tip-off.