Darren Reynolds and Christine Grayson were found guilty of offences in connection with a plot to destroy 5G masts (Picture: PA)
An anti-vax conspiracy theorist has been found guilty of plotting to destroy 5G masts.
Christine Grayson believed the mobile phone towers were designed as a ‘weapon’ against people and that they were linked to the Covid-19 vaccine.
Leeds Crown Court was told the 59-year-old spoke about ‘getting rid’ of ‘these 5G bloody near me’ with expanding foam and angle grinders online.
Alongside co-defendant, Darren Reynolds, she spoke about armed uprisings and advocated violence towards MPs.
The replica assault rifle found at the home of Darren Reynolds (Picture: PA)
The crossbow and crossbow bolts found at the home of Christine Grayson (Picture: PA)
The 60-year-old was cleared of the same charge but convicted of eight terrorist offences, including encouraging terrorism with online comments.
He was also convicted of disseminating a terrorist publication by sharing a link to the neo-Nazi White Alexandria’s Library.
Opening the case to jurors in April, prosecutor Tom Storey said the defendants knew each other through Telegram where they discussed hanging politicians.
Reynolds ‘went further’, posting extreme right-wing, antisemitic and racist views, Mr Storey said.
More crossbow bolts also found at her home (Picture: PA)
On June 29, 2021, he posted: ‘Storm parliament and the Lords, drag them ALL outside and hang them ALL on the spot for treason, sedition insurgency, attempted genocide and crimes against the peoples of Great Britain.’
Reynolds described murdered MP Sir David Amess as a ‘traitor’ and reacted with approval to another user’s view that Thomas Mair had ‘rightly executed the murdered MP Jo Cox because of her alleged treason’.
The court heard that in one police interview, the defendant asked officers: ‘Do I look like a terrorist to you?”
He then said that terrorists were ‘usually Arabs, or Irish from the 70s’.
Grayson, of Boothwood Road, York, was convicted of one offence of conspiracy to commit criminal damage (Picture: PA)
Reynolds, of Newbould Crescent, Sheffield, was found guilty of eight terrorist offences (Picture: PA)
When police searched Grayson’s home they found a crossbow and a number of crossbow bolts, while at Reynolds’ property they discovered two replica assault rifles.
Copies of documents about how to use assault rifles or manufacture explosive devices were also on some of Reynolds’ electronic devices.
The court heard both defendants were strongly opposed to the rollout of the 5G network, and regarded 5G masts as pieces of ‘enemy infrastructure’.
Grayson said she needed a ‘sabotage team’ to ‘get rid of these 5G bloody near me’ in a Telegram exchange on August 7, 2021.
Grayson, of Boothwood Road, York, was convicted of one offence of conspiracy to commit criminal damage and cleared of one charge of encouraging terrorism.
Reynolds, of Newbould Crescent, Sheffield, was found guilty of one count of encouraging terrorism, one of disseminating a terrorist publication and six of possessing material likely to be useful to a person committing an act of terrorism.
He was cleared of conspiracy to commit criminal damage and two counts of disseminating a terrorist publication.
Judge Guy Kearl KC remanded both into custody to be sentenced at the same court on June 5.
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Darren Reynolds and Christine Grayson discussed armed uprisings.