Latest news with #OnlineKillersMarket
The Independent
11-02-2025
- The Independent
Judge orders ‘evil Jesus' who plotted to kill lawyer to be moved to secure unit
A judge has ordered that a man who plotted to kill a prosecutor while claiming to be suffering from delusions that he was 'evil Jesus' be moved to a medium secure mental health unit ahead of his sentencing in May. Martin Ready, 42, was found guilty of attempting to conspire to murder Darren Harty by using cryptocurrency to pay for a hitman on the dark web following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow last year. Between May 2021 and September 2022, Ready paid £5,071.24 in Bitcoin and sent instructions for Mr Harty to be shot on a dark website called Online Killers Market, which turned out to be fraudulent. During the trial, Ready told the court he had suffered from delusions that he was 'evil Jesus' and believed the murder of Mr Harty would expose organised crime in Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, where Mr Harty's family owned a pub. The men knew each other from the pub, but the court heard they had not seen each other for years before the plot. Ready denied the charge and lodged a special defence of lacking criminal responsibility, but was convicted and remanded in custody at HMP Barlinnie. On Tuesday at the High Court in Kilmarnock, judge Lady Hood issued an interim compulsion order requiring Ready to be moved to the Rowanbank Clinic medium secure unit in Glasgow ahead of his sentencing. This order had been delayed for some weeks due to a lack of a bed at the unit but, at Tuesday's hearing, Ready's lawyer Brian McConnachie KC confirmed a bed at the clinic was now available. 'As a result of the last hearing it has now been indicated that there is now a bed available at Rowanbank, and your ladyship is now in a position to make an interim compulsion order,' he told the court. He added that the order would last for a period of 12 weeks, and that Ready would therefore be in a position to be sentenced on May 5 2025. Lady Hood said: 'Mr Ready, on August 29 2025 at the High Court in Glasgow you were found guilty by a jury of a charge of attempted conspiracy to murder.' She told him she was 'satisfied' on the basis of medical reports that he was mentally ill. 'Reports have been prepared by two psychiatrists,' she said. 'They are both of the opinion that you suffer a mental disorder, namely delusional disorder.' She told him that his case had been continued 'in order to ascertain that place is available in a suitable hospital, which would be able to accept you in the timescale set out in legislation'. She added: 'The court has now received confirmation that a place is now available for you and is being held for you at Rowanbank Clinic.' Lady Hood said: 'Having considered all of the circumstances involved and the nature of the offence, I am satisfied it is appropriate to make an interim compulsion order.' The order, she explained, will 'authorise' his admittance to, and treatment at, Rowanbank Clinic, until the case calls again at Glasgow High Court on May 5 2025. Ready attended the hearing remotely over video link from Barlinnie prison, dressed in a blue polo shirt and jeans and with his hair cropped short. He showed no reaction as the order was handed down.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Yahoo
Man guilty of murder plot moved to secure unit
A former lawyer who plotted to kill a prosecutor has been moved to a medium secure mental health unit ahead of his sentencing in May. Martin Ready, 42, was found guilty of attempting to conspire to murder Darren Harty by using cryptocurrency to pay for a hitman on the dark web following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow last year. He accessed a website called the "Online Killers Market" in an bid to have the procurator fiscal killed in a "gangland-style execution". Judge Lady Hood said she was "satisfied" on the basis of medical reports that Ready was mentally ill and suffered from delusions. He used the alias "Harry Brown" to pay for the murder, which he claimed was during a delusional period where he believed he was an "evil Jesus" figure. But a jury dismissed his claims that he lacked criminal responsibility and found him guilty of attempted conspiracy to murder. Ready claimed the bar run by Mr Harty's family in Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, was being used to launder money for criminals. The men knew each other from the pub, but the court heard they had not seen each other for years before the plot. Ready said killing Mr Harty would have "shone a light" on criminal activity in the town. Mr Harty has strongly denied any suggestion that he was involved in money laundering for two named crime families. Ready transferred 0.2913 Bitcoin - valued at £5,071 – to the administrator of the website and gave a graphic description of how the killing was to be carried out. The name Harry Brown he used was the same name as the main character in the 2009 Michael Caine film, who took the law into his own hands after his only friend was murdered. The court heard how it later emerged that the website – only accessible via the dark web – was a front for a lucrative scam. The offences were carried out between May 2021 and September 2022. More stories from Glasgow & West Scotland More stories from Scotland Ready was arrested after a journalist investigating the highly-encrypted online network contacted police. He denied the charge and lodged a special defence of lacking criminal responsibility, but was convicted and remanded in custody at HMP Barlinnie. At the High Court in Kilmarnock, judge Lady Hood issued an interim compulsion order requiring Ready to be moved to the Rowanbank Clinic medium secure unit in Glasgow. The order had been delayed for weeks until a bed became free at the unit. Ready's lawyer Brian McConnachie KC said the order would last for a period of 12 weeks, which meant he could be sentenced on 5 May. Lady Hood said she was "satisfied" on the basis of medical reports that Ready was mentally ill. "Reports have been prepared by two psychiatrists," she said. "They are both of the opinion that you suffer a mental disorder, namely delusional disorder." She told him that his case had been continued "in order to ascertain that place is available in a suitable hospital, which would be able to accept you in the timescale set out in legislation". The judge said the order would authorise his admittance to, and treatment at, Rowanbank Clinic, until the case calls again at the High Court in Glasgow. Ready attended the hearing remotely over video link from Barlinnie prison. He showed no reaction as the order was handed down. Former lawyer convicted over vigilante dark web execution plot
BBC News
11-02-2025
- BBC News
Former lawyer guilty of murder plot moved to secure unit
A former lawyer who plotted to kill a prosecutor has been moved to a medium secure mental health unit ahead of his sentencing in Ready, 42, was found guilty of attempting to conspire to murder Darren Harty by using cryptocurrency to pay for a hitman on the dark web following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow last accessed a website called the "Online Killers Market" in an bid to have the procurator fiscal killed in a "gangland-style execution".Judge Lady Hood said she was "satisfied" on the basis of medical reports that Ready was mentally ill and suffered from delusions. He used the alias "Harry Brown" to pay for the murder, which he claimed was during a delusional period where he believed he was an "evil Jesus" a jury dismissed his claims that he lacked criminal responsibility and found him guilty of attempted conspiracy to murder. Money laundering claims Ready claimed the bar run by Mr Harty's family in Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, was being used to launder money for men knew each other from the pub, but the court heard they had not seen each other for years before the said killing Mr Harty would have "shone a light" on criminal activity in the Harty has strongly denied any suggestion that he was involved in money laundering for two named crime transferred 0.2913 Bitcoin - valued at £5,071 – to the administrator of the website and gave a graphic description of how the killing was to be carried name Harry Brown he used was the same name as the main character in the 2009 Michael Caine film, who took the law into his own hands after his only friend was court heard how it later emerged that the website – only accessible via the dark web – was a front for a lucrative offences were carried out between May 2021 and September 2022. Ready was arrested after a journalist investigating the highly-encrypted online network contacted denied the charge and lodged a special defence of lacking criminal responsibility, but was convicted and remanded in custody at HMP the High Court in Kilmarnock, judge Lady Hood issued an interim compulsion order requiring Ready to be moved to the Rowanbank Clinic medium secure unit in order had been delayed for weeks until a bed became free at the lawyer Brian McConnachie KC said the order would last for a period of 12 weeks, which meant he could be sentenced on 5 Hood said she was "satisfied" on the basis of medical reports that Ready was mentally ill."Reports have been prepared by two psychiatrists," she said."They are both of the opinion that you suffer a mental disorder, namely delusional disorder."She told him that his case had been continued "in order to ascertain that place is available in a suitable hospital, which would be able to accept you in the timescale set out in legislation".The judge said the order would authorise his admittance to, and treatment at, Rowanbank Clinic, until the case calls again at the High Court in attended the hearing remotely over video link from Barlinnie prison. He showed no reaction as the order was handed down.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Yahoo
Judge orders ‘evil Jesus' who plotted to kill lawyer to be moved to secure unit
A judge has ordered that a man who plotted to kill a prosecutor while claiming to be suffering from delusions that he was 'evil Jesus' be moved to a medium secure mental health unit ahead of his sentencing in May. Martin Ready, 42, was found guilty of attempting to conspire to murder Darren Harty by using cryptocurrency to pay for a hitman on the dark web following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow last year. Between May 2021 and September 2022, Ready paid £5,071.24 in Bitcoin and sent instructions for Mr Harty to be shot on a dark website called Online Killers Market, which turned out to be fraudulent. During the trial, Ready told the court he had suffered from delusions that he was 'evil Jesus' and believed the murder of Mr Harty would expose organised crime in Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, where Mr Harty's family owned a pub. The men knew each other from the pub, but the court heard they had not seen each other for years before the plot. Ready denied the charge and lodged a special defence of lacking criminal responsibility, but was convicted and remanded in custody at HMP Barlinnie. On Tuesday at the High Court in Kilmarnock, judge Lady Hood issued an interim compulsion order requiring Ready to be moved to the Rowanbank Clinic medium secure unit in Glasgow ahead of his sentencing. This order had been delayed for some weeks due to a lack of a bed at the unit but, at Tuesday's hearing, Ready's lawyer Brian McConnachie KC confirmed a bed at the clinic was now available. 'As a result of the last hearing it has now been indicated that there is now a bed available at Rowanbank, and your ladyship is now in a position to make an interim compulsion order,' he told the court. He added that the order would last for a period of 12 weeks, and that Ready would therefore be in a position to be sentenced on May 5 2025. Lady Hood said: 'Mr Ready, on August 29 2025 at the High Court in Glasgow you were found guilty by a jury of a charge of attempted conspiracy to murder.' She told him she was 'satisfied' on the basis of medical reports that he was mentally ill. 'Reports have been prepared by two psychiatrists,' she said. 'They are both of the opinion that you suffer a mental disorder, namely delusional disorder.' She told him that his case had been continued 'in order to ascertain that place is available in a suitable hospital, which would be able to accept you in the timescale set out in legislation'. She added: 'The court has now received confirmation that a place is now available for you and is being held for you at Rowanbank Clinic.' Lady Hood said: 'Having considered all of the circumstances involved and the nature of the offence, I am satisfied it is appropriate to make an interim compulsion order.' The order, she explained, will 'authorise' his admittance to, and treatment at, Rowanbank Clinic, until the case calls again at Glasgow High Court on May 5 2025. Ready attended the hearing remotely over video link from Barlinnie prison, dressed in a blue polo shirt and jeans and with his hair cropped short. He showed no reaction as the order was handed down. Ready is due to be sentenced at Glasgow High Court on May 5 2025.
The Independent
28-01-2025
- The Independent
Sentencing of ‘evil Jesus' dark web plotter is postponed due to lack of beds
The sentencing of a man who plotted to kill a prosecutor while claiming to be suffering from delusions that he was 'evil Jesus' has been postponed. Martin Ready, 42, was found guilty of attempting to conspire to murder Darren Harty by using cryptocurrency to pay for a hitman on the dark web during a trial at the High Court in Glasgow last year. Between May 2021 and September 2022, Ready paid £5,071.24 in Bitcoin and sent instructions for Mr Harty to be shot on a dark website called Online Killers Market, which turned out to be fraudulent. During the trial, Ready told the court he had suffered from delusions that he was 'evil Jesus' and believed the murder of Mr Harty would expose organised crime in Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, where Mr Harty's family owned a pub. Judge Lady Hood, presiding judge The men knew each other from the pub, but the court heard they had not seen each other for years before the plot. Ready denied the charge and lodged a special defence of lacking criminal responsibility, but was convicted and remanded in custody at HMP Barlinnie, however, a bed is being sought in a medium secure unit. On Tuesday, sentencing was postponed at the High Court in Edinburgh, due to lack of availability at the Rowanbank Clinic medium secure unit in Glasgow. Ready was not at the hearing, which was postponed for two weeks. Defending, Richard Goddard KC said: 'I would invite the court to deal with this in his absence. I gather (the) case was continued to whether bed was available. Unfortunately, it would appear that Rowanbank has not confirmed if a bed was available.' Judge Lady Hood said: 'In unfortunate circumstances there's been some sort of mix-up. He's neither available virtually or in-person. 'I think it's appropriate to deal with it in his absence. We have the requisite reports indicating clearly that the appropriate way of proceeding in the doctor's view is (an) interim compulsion order. 'All we await is that a bed will be available in a short timescale.' She said that a doctor from Rowanbank had 'attended Barlinnie to speak with Mr Ready directly' but had not been asked to produce a report. Lady Hood added: ' One of the doctors had indicated there was a difference of clinical opinion. There seems to be a difference in clinical opinion (with the doctor who attended Barlinnie). 'My own opinion would be that the court didn't require a report. 'If a bed is not available at Rowanbank what we need to know is if there is another medium secure unit which has a bed available.' Sentencing was postponed until February 11 at the High Court in Kilmarnock.
