Covid denier found guilty of encouraging terrorism

Paul Martin was told to expect jail time when he is sentenced in December

A Covid denier is facing a prison sentence after he was found guilty of encouraging terrorism.

The Old Bailey heard how 60-year-old Paul Martin, from south London, was a prolific poster online in a group called "The Resistance UK" during the pandemic, urging people to stage an armed revolt and attack the country's infrastructure.

Prosecutor Julia Faure-Walker told the court that his messages were designed to "stir up the idea of violent revolt using weapons for his ideological cause".

The jury heard that Martin, from South Norwood, collected weapons in his flat, including crossbows and pistols, although he was cleared of collecting them for the purposes of terrorism.

'It will be a war'

Martin maintained during his trial that his two crossbows were "purely for sport" and that two pistols were the kind "commonly used in fairgrounds".

During the proceedings the 10-member jury was shown messages he had posted on the Telegram online chat group.

In December 2020, the defendant wrote: "It is a war you better get ready to smash skulls and destroy evil."

Martin also called for attacks on 5G and CCTV, saying that if groups hit key infrastructure across the country "they be running around like flies".

The Old Bailey heard that he posted: "If we do lawful reb (rebellion), we need lots of us."

He added: "And plenty Alpha men and women... it will be a war, and the police will do everything to stop us."

Later he told the group, to which he posted thousands of messages: "You do know if it kicks off lives will be lost on both sides. That's the reality."

In one post, Martin wrote: "The simple fact is there is no pandemic, never has been. The main goal was to genocide all they can and enslave the survivors and make the children sterile with poison."

He also wrote: "Vaccine is a poison designed to kill you off over a short period."

'Down a rabbit hole'

While giving evidence, he was questioned about his beliefs during the pandemic. He claimed he had feared that people would be forced to have the Covid vaccine.

"I thought we would lose our privilege of consent, that we'd be forced to have it," he told defence counsel Dominic Thomas.

"That gave me scary thoughts.

"What I see on the news, drag them out of the houses, jab them, all this."

The defendant suggested that he had "fallen down a rabbit hole" during the pandemic and denied he had ever intended to commit any violent acts himself.

Giving evidence to the court, he said he was "just talking twaddle" and was writing things down as he thought them.

Martin pleaded guilty to a charge of possessing a stun gun at the beginning of his trial but denied the terrorism charges.

Judge Richard Marks KC bailed him for sentencing on 18 December. He was told to expect a custodial sentence.