Man claiming to be 'evil Jesus' found guilty of conspiring to kill prosecutor in dark web hitman-for-hire plot
29 August 2024, 18:03 | Updated: 29 August 2024, 18:04
A man claiming to be 'evil Jesus' has been found guilty of conspiring to kill a prosecutor in a dark web hitman-for-hire plot.
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Martin Ready, 41, was found guilty of attempting to conspire to murder Darren Harty, 37, between May 29, 2021 and September 15, 2022 by setting up cryptocurrency accounts, using a site on the dark web, paying £5,071.24 in Bitcoin, and instructing Mr Harty be shot and where he could be found.
Ready denied the charge and lodged a special defence of lacking criminal responsibility during a trial at the High Court in Glasgow.
He has now been found guilty after giving evidence claiming he planned the murder to expose organised crime in Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire.
The court heard the men knew each other from a pub owned by Mr Harty’s family in Coatbridge and the defendant believed the murder of the prosecutor would expose organised crime.
Giving evidence, Ready claimed he believed he was Jesus in autumn 2021, and suffered a relapse in January 2022 when he believed he was “evil Jesus”.
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Ready told the court he chose Mr Harty because of his connection with the pub, rather than due to personal issues.
Defending, Brian McConnachie KC asked him: “From your point of view, what would that achieve?”
Ready said: “I felt that if Darren had been killed it would turn on his links to organised crime.”
The court heard Ready’s father believed he was “paranoid” and he had spent time in a psychiatric ward in Wishaw, North Lanarkshire, after alleging an abduction attempt was carried out by a named family in 2020.
Giving evidence, the accused said he had sold drugs for the family between 2007 and 2010 while studying law.
Ready told the court he believed he had been “jagged with a canine GPS tracker” by his own brother, but an X-ray of his right arm showed nothing.
Giving evidence, Ready alleged he had seen bedbugs “streaming down the walls” of his flat after supposedly being posted through a letterbox.
He told the court his motivation for plotting the murder on the dark web – which was exposed by a documentary maker – was to reveal “money washing” which he alleged was happening at the pub.
Mr Harty gave evidence on the first day of the trial, and said money laundering was “absolutely not” happening at the pub, where he worked around a decade ago while at university.
He said he remembered Ready as he was teetotal and would order coffee, which was “irritating” due to how busy the pub was.
Ready claimed being remanded in HMP Barlinnie after the murder plot was exposed in September 2022 improved his mental health as it got him out of Coatbridge.
Prosecutor Erin Campbell put to him: “Can I suggest that you thinking you were Jesus was a running joke?”
Ready replied: “No.“At the time, I genuinely believed I was Jesus and that the actions I took were to expose the criminality I had been subjected to.”
Ready added: “I knew murder is illegal, that is correct. At the time I was genuinely delusional and believed this was the right course of action.”
He was remanded in custody while criminal justice social work reports were carried out.
Judge Lady Hood said: “I think from the evidence that we have already heard I will adjourn for a suitable psychiatrist to be identified and for a report to be prepared.”
Police Scotland Detective Sergeant Karen Murray said: “Ready believed that by using cryptocurrency and the dark web that his offences would go undetected, but this was not the case.
“Our specialist cybercrime officers followed the movement of funds and traced the crimes back to Ready, highlighting Police Scotland’s capability and commitment to uncovering online criminal activity.”
The case was adjourned until October 24 at the High Court in Edinburgh.
