A woman described as a lone-wolf dissident republican has been jailed for 16 years and four months for attempting to murder police officers and other terror offences.
Christine Connor (31) pleaded guilty in May to the attempted murder of a police officer and other terror offences.
Connor gasped as Belfast Crown Court Judge David McFarland imposed the sentence for the attempted murder of a police officer and other terror offences.
CCTV footage of Christine Connor on night of attempted murder of police officer
Judge McFarland told Connor he believed she was dangerous and was "committed to a violent philosophy to achieve political objectives".
Three of the charges relate to a homemade grenade thrown at a police vehicle in May 2013.
Police today released mobile phone footage Connor had filmed of her explaining how she planned to carry out the attack.
Warning - video contains strong language
The PSNI said Connor duped a number of men to become involved in her terrorism activities, after using fake profile photographs on social media.
Connor lured Stuart Downes, from Shrewsbury, into her terror plot by using a fictitious name and photo of Swedish model Sanne Alexandra Andersson.
Mr Downes sourced and purchased the explosives before shipping them to Connor in Belfast.
He was arrested, questioned and charged with a series of offences linked to the May 2013 attack but died by suicide last year.
Detailed plan to murder police involved recruiting Englishman and American
Police said Connor had also enticed American man Zachary Gevelinger online using her fake identity.
Mr Gevelinger was arrested and questioned by police after he visited Connor in Hydebank Prison in July 2013.
He later took his own life.
Neither men had any previous connections to Northern Ireland.
Connor appeared before Belfast Crown Court this morning for sentencing for:
- preparing terrorist acts between February 2013 and May 2013
- possessing explosives with intent to endanger life
- causing an explosion on two dates in May 2013 and attempting to murder a police officer.
The court heard previously that she had lured a police patrol to a house in the Crumlin Road area of north Belfast in May 2013 by claiming that a woman living there was in danger.
Police today released an audio recording of the call Connor made in which she claimed domestic violence had occurred:
She is not believed to have been aligned to any dissident republican organisations.
Judge McFarland described Mr Downey as a "pitiful, troubled and vulnerable young man".
"Why he became involved with you is a mystery," he added.
Judge McFarland told Connor there were "disturbing and sinister" aspects to her relationship with Mr Downey and that she "appears to have been the controlling influence".
He said she had attempted to indoctrinate Mr Downey with her views of Irish history.
"It's within your power to manipulate others. You are committed to a violent philosophy to achieve political objectives. You have shown little remorse.
"I find you dangerous," added the judge.
A prosecution barrister told the court Connor had been motivated by terrorism and the attacks were not spur of the moment.
"(Connor) was clearly committed to violent use of these weapons with the primary purpose of killing police officers," he said.
"The case against her was overwhelming. She was caught red handed by the evidence."
A defence lawyer said Connor, who has a number of health problems, was going to find life in prison "particularly difficult" and asked the court to "extend leniency".
Upon her release from prison, Connor will spend another three years and eight months on licence.
She will be entitled to apply to the Parole Board for an earlier release.
She waved at her family in the public gallery as she was taken away by prison guards.
Speaking after today's sentencing, Detective Superintendent Richard Campbell, from the PSNI’s Serious Crime Branch, said: “Northern Ireland is a safer place with Christine Connor behind bars. She is a dangerous woman who exploited others to further her own twisted ideologies. She was very cunning and duped a number of men through fake profile images on social media to become involved in her terrorist aspirations. She used online photographs of Swedish model, fashion designer and blogger Sanne Alexandra Andersson without her knowledge or consent. These bore no resemblance to Christine.
“Stuart Downes (31) from Meole Brace in Shrewsbury, who was also due to stand trial before dying in non-suspicious circumstances on June 24, 2016, played a key part in the attacks, as we have evidence that he sourced component parts and shipped them to his Belfast accomplice. We also have footage from his phone showing him testing the explosive mix.
“Christine also enticed an American man online. We arrested and questioned Zachary Gevelinger after he visited Christine in Hydebank Prison on July 6, 2013. We found correspondence from him to Christine in her house, as well as cheques he had sent her. The FBI searched Zachary’s house in USA on our behalf and seized computer equipment which confirmed the link to Christine. He died last month in non-suspicious circumstances.
“We know she communicated with these men via a ‘United Struggle’ Facebook page she created – for her one member organisation. Neither of these men, who are now both deceased, had previous connections to Northern Ireland or to Northern Ireland related terrorism.
“Christine Connor meticulously planned the attack on police officers who were attending what they thought was a genuine emergency call for help from a woman purporting to be in danger in her Crumlin Road home in the early hours of the morning on May 28. Instead they were lured to a hoax call which ended in an attempt to murder them."
The Belfast woman made two attempts at murdering police officers on two separate dates and both involved her making hoax 999 calls to lure them to where she was hiding.
The first attempt did not result in injury, although the improvised explosive devices did detonate. Connor used this failed attack as a ‘trial run’ for the strike on May 28 when she threw two IEDs at officers from the lane beside the house she had lured officers to.
Detective Superintendent Campbell said: “It is just sheer good fortune that they were not killed or seriously injured. What is clear though is the total disregard Christine had for the people within this community who also could have been seriously injured or killed. The shrapnel from the devices travelled up to 35 metres and was found lodged in the homes of local people."
A claim of responsibility for the attack on May 28, 2013 made from a public phonebox in the Shrewsbury area formed a major part of the PSNI enquiry.
“This resulted in the identification of Stuart Downes as a suspect,” said Detective Superintendent Campbell.
“This, together with CCTV evidence obtained in the vicinity of the May 28 attack in the Crumlin Road, resulted in the identification of Christine Connor as a suspect and subsequent investigations provided the link between Stuart Downes and Christine Connor."
“Her devices were sophisticated and primed to maim and murder, however, good forensic work by detectives spanning over weeks and months, enabled them to connect Christine to these heinous crimes through a litany of evidence they uncovered. These included:
- The mobile phone she used to make the hoax 999 calls was found in the garden of a home adjoining the alleyway
- In the alleyway beside the house she lured officers to, she left two woollen gloves, from which police identified her DNA, as well as her footprint in dog excrement which was traced to boots found in her wardrobe
- A blue supermarket bag for life, which she is seen carrying in CCTV footage was found in the same garden of the home adjoining the alleyway. She was not carrying this bag in CCTV footage which captured Christine fleeing the scene. We believe she used this to carry the devices
- Her hooded sweatshirt, from which police identified her DNA, was found in a skip near the scene
- Mobile phones, laptops and sim cards were found hidden inside her mattress. She used these to communicate with her co-conspirator Downes.”
The police officer who was injured in the attack is the father of two young children – his baby boy was only three months old at the time.
He described the moment he realised an explosive device had been thrown at him.
“My colleague and I had knocked at the door of the house where we believed a woman was being assaulted. I became suspicious when there was no response at the door and there were no lights on in the house. A recent, previous attack on police was also in the back of my mind and I turned away from the property to make further investigations. That was when I heard a noise behind me – which was the device landing at my heel.
“My adrenalin kicked in and I started running away but tripped and fell just as the first device exploded. I saw someone coming towards me and a second device hitting the ground near me. I got up and ran into an alleyway just as this device exploded. I remember the noise was deafening and there was a lot of smoke.
“At this stage my training kicked in and I drew my weapon to protect myself and the public, who were now coming out of their houses to see what was happening. My colleague and I advised them to go back inside for their own safety.
“I feel very lucky to be alive and I have no doubt that if I wasn’t able to run away from the devices being thrown I would not be here today. I am very fortunate that me and my colleague did not suffer serious injuries.
