Covid denier who called for violence is found guilty of terrorism offences
A man who encouraged violence and acts of terrorism on messaging app Telegram has been found guilty today.
Patrick Ruane, 55, from London was found guilty of two charges of encouraging terrorism today.
Ruane belonged to Telegram groups that believed in a large-scale conspiracy theory that Covid-19 and subsequent vaccines were Government fabrications designed for population control.
In a two-week trial at the Old Bailey the jury heard how over the course of ten months in 2021, Ruane published statements encouraging violence and the overthrowing of the government in opposition to the response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Bethan David, Head of the Counter Terrorism Division, at the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said: “This is a dangerous man who was prolific in encouraging violence because of his firmly held beliefs in a conspiracy theory.
“During a time when the nation was suffering a devastating pandemic and many lost loved ones, Patrick Ruane was using Telegram to spread false and damaging information and encourage violence and terrorism.
“He posed a credible threat to the peace and safety of the public, and it is only right that he has been found guilty today. The CPS will always seek to prosecute such appalling criminal behaviour whether carried out in person or online to keep the public safe.”
Acting Commander Gareth Rees, from the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command said: “Our investigation found large numbers of posts by Ruane where he was encouraging others to carry out extremely violent acts, all because he didn’t like the government’s response to the pandemic.
"This wasn’t idle chit-chat online – he was encouraging people to seriously injure or kill others, suggesting who to target.
“This case should serve as a warning that if you’re encouraging people to commit acts of terrorism, then we will investigate. Where we find evidence of this, then there are very serious consequences, something that Ruane is now facing.”
Ruane will be sentenced on 8 November.
Notes to editors
- Patrick Ruane (DOB: 14/01/1969) is from Paddington, London
- He was found guilty of:
- Two offences contrary to section 1 Terrorism Act 2006, namely encouraging acts of terrorism
- The jury cleared Ruane of:
- One offence contrary to section 58 Terrorism Act 2000, possession of a document or record for terrorist purposes
- The CPS Counter Terrorism Division prosecutes terrorism cases. It deals with other complex casework areas including allegations of incitement to racial and religious hatred, war crimes and crimes against humanity, official secrets cases, piracy and hijacking.