A 60-year-old Croydon man, Paul Martin, was jailed after being convicted of encouraging terrorism for urging a violent uprising against the UK government in thousands of posts on a Telegram channel called The Resistance UK. Investigators said he posted about 16,000 messages in the 8,000-member group, promoted claims that Covid was a hoax and vaccines were poison, and encouraged people to obtain weapons and use crossbows, explosives and petrol bombs to carry out attacks. He was arrested at his home on 28 September 2021 and police seized a stun gun disguised as a torch, two crossbows with bolts, a large knife, air guns and drones. After a trial at the Old Bailey he was found guilty of encouragement of terrorism under the Terrorism Act 2006, acquitted of possessing articles for terrorist purposes under the Terrorism Act 2000, and had previously pleaded guilty to possessing a prohibited weapon. He was sentenced to three years and three months in prison.
