Guilty duo plotted 5G mast destruction and urged attacks on MPs

A pair of conspiracy theorists who referred to themselves as “Bonnie and Clyde with a box of matches” have been convicted of plotting to destroy 5G phone masts and inciting attacks on MPs. Christine Grayson, 59 years old from York, and Darren Reynolds, 60 years old from Sheffield, believed that 5G phone masts were intended to be used as weapons against the public who had received the COVID-19 vaccine. Grayson had purchased two crossbows, while Reynolds attempted to reactivate replica assault rifles in preparation for what they believed to be the impending collapse of society.

Reynolds, an electrician from Sheffield with a 28-year-old daughter and a grandchild, was found guilty of encouraging terrorism by advocating for attacks on MPs. Grayson, a divorced mother of two, was convicted of conspiracy to cause criminal damage by planning to destroy 5G masts between May and June of last year.

During the lockdown, Grayson frequented chatrooms on the encrypted Telegram app, where she encountered flat earth theories and discussions about vaccines. Her two sons advised her to “stop listening to other people, stay away from idiots, just don’t listen,” according to her testimony in court.

Initially, Grayson collected signatures to try to remove a 5G mast near her home and filmed herself submitting “paperwork” at her local police station, demanding that they prosecute MPs over COVID vaccines. Reynolds, who operated an online Telegram group called Constitutional Common Law England, became interested in conspiracy theories after the 9/11 attacks and stopped watching TV.

The duo held racist, antisemitic, and anti-authoritarian beliefs and frequently called for MPs to be hanged for their “treasonous behaviour” related to vaccination policies. Reynolds labelled Sir David Amess as a “traitor” the day after his murder and supported Thomas Mair’s “execution” of Jo Cox due to her “treason.”

On June 10, 2021, Grayson told a Telegram user: “We can maybe get rid of the 5G towers, come up with summit together, keep it between ourselves, we can cause some f**kery.” She discussed various methods for destroying 5G masts, including expanding foam, a substance called thermite, and angle grinders.

When police searched their homes on August 22 last year, they discovered Grayson had a crossbow and several crossbow bolts, while Reynolds had an M16 and an AK-47 replica assault rifle. Reynolds had inquired online about reactivating such firearms and had ordered a self-loading automatic crossbow from a Harrogate business.

Reynolds was also found guilty of six counts of possession of material useful for terrorism and one count of disseminating such material. Grayson, following her arrest, denied sharing Reynolds’s extreme ideologies and being a racist. She claimed that Boris Johnson, who was prime minister at the time, was “not even English, he is Turkish, Jewish,” and that “English people” should be running the country.

Both Grayson and Reynolds will be sentenced next week. Detective Chief Superintendent James Dunkerley, head of Counter-Terrorism Policing North East, stated that “hateful views aim to sow discord and distrust in our communities, and one post or video has the power to radicalise and encourage others to commit acts of terrorism.”