He described the pandemic as a ‘silent war’
A Croydon Covid denier is looking at prison after encouraging a mutiny during the pandemic, calling for the use of AK47s, explosives, and crossbows. Anti-vaxxer Paul Martin, 60, of Suffolk Road, Croydon, had shared an incredible 16,000 messages on a Telegram group named ‘The Resistance UK,’ which had 8,000 members.
Police ran into his house on September 28, 2021 and found a stun gun disguised as a torch, two crossbows with bolts, a large knife, air guns, and drones. Martin’s messages included bogus claims that Covid was a ‘hoax’ and the vaccine was a ‘poison designed to kill you off’.
Martin described the pandemic as a “silent war” and other group members to buy a crossbow and to make petrol bombs. Giving evidence in his trial, he said his posts were “pure fantasy”, “gibberish” and “twaddle” and insisted he would never hurt anyone.
On why he talked about weapons, he told jurors: “At the time, I was thinking in my head better to be a warrior in the garden than a gardener in the battlefield. Be prepared,” reports PA.
He was found guilty of encouragement of terrorism, contrary to section 1 of the Terrorism Act 2006 and found not guilty of possession of articles for the purposes of terrorism, contrary to section 57 of the Terrorism Act 2000, following a two-week trial at The Old Bailey.
He previously pleaded guilty to possession of a weapon capable of discharging a noxious substance or other thing (stun gun), contrary to section 5(1)(b) of the Firearms Act 1968.
Commander Dominic Murphy, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said: “This is an unusual case dating back to the time of the Covid pandemic when social media contained many conspiracy theories about the vaccine and lockdown restrictions.
“However, Paul Martin’s actions went way beyond lawful comment or protest against Government policy as he encouraged others online to acquire weapons and use them in attacks.
“Anyone who advocates violence in this way can expect to be arrested and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
“Single Issue Terrorism such as this remains a very small part of our caseload, however we are always alert to how political, economic and social events are changing the focus of our work.”
Martin will be sentenced at the Old Bailey on December 18.
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