A West London man has been sentenced to five years in prison for encouraging violent attacks in response to government policies during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Patrick Ruane, 55, was sentenced at the Old Bailey on 11 November, following his conviction on two counts of encouragement of terrorism under the Terrorism Act 2006. He will serve an additional year on licence after his release.
Ruane’s extremist activity was uncovered by the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command during an investigation that began in 2021. Officers linked him to a series of inflammatory social media posts where he encouraged violence against individuals associated with the government’s pandemic response.
Among his targets were pharmaceutical company staff, MPs, police, vaccine laboratories, and 5G infrastructure.
Online Extremism and Arrest
Detectives arrested Ruane in November 2021 at his flat in west London, where they seized multiple electronic devices. Analysis revealed extensive evidence of Ruane’s postings over a ten-month period.
Acting Commander Gareth Rees of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command described Ruane’s posts as more than mere online chatter:
“This wasn’t idle chit-chat online – he was encouraging people to seriously injure or kill others, suggesting who to target.”
Ruane’s online activity included calls to violence against pharmaceutical and government workers, alongside conspiratorial accusations about vaccines and 5G technology.
Legal Proceedings and Sentencing
Ruane was charged in August 2023 with two counts of encouragement of terrorism and one count of possessing a document useful for terrorism. While he was found not guilty of possessing the document, he was convicted on the two counts of encouragement and sentenced accordingly.
Bethan David, Head of the Counter Terrorism Division at the Crown Prosecution Service, highlighted the danger Ruane posed:
“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, Patrick Ruane was using Telegram to spread false and damaging information and encourage violence and terrorism.”
Authorities have reiterated the importance of public vigilance in combatting terrorism. The Met urged anyone with concerns about potential radicalisation or suspicious activity to report it confidentially through the UK’s anti-terrorist hotline or the government’s ACT website.
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Cue yet another tweet from Musk lecturing us about how stopping people from threatening or encouraging violence against others online is a disgraceful infringement of freedom of Speech.
My workplace still has British Transport Police posters up warning us to be careful taking down Anti-Vax stickers as so many had needles and razorblades behind them.