Belfast Woman Jailed For Attempting To Murder PSNI Officer

A Belfast woman has received over 16 years behind bars for attempting to murder a police officer in 2013.

Christine Connor pleaded guilty in May to attempting to murder a police officer in the Crumlin Road area of Belfast on 28 May, 2013, as well as a number of terrorism offences.

She also admitted possessing explosives and causing explosions with intent to endanger life or cause serious injury to property on 16 May and 28 May, as well as preparation of terrorist acts between 01 February, 2013 and 30 May, 2013.

A senior Police Service of Northern Ireland detective described her as "a dangerous woman who exploited others to further her own twisted ideologies".

A co-defendant, who also jointly faced five charges including attempted murder and possessing explosives and causing explosions with intent to endanger life or cause serious injury to property on 16 May and 28 May, is now deceased.

Connor received a prison sentence of 16 years and four months, plus an extended period on licence of three years and eight months. She will also be subject to notification requirements under the Counter Terrorism Act 2008, for a period of 30 years from today's date.

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."

"She planned this attack over quite a period of time and used a web of deceit and lies to enlist the help of Stuart Downes. Her deceitfulness knew no bounds and involved using a fictitious name and a profile picture that bore no resemblance to her when communicating online with Stuart Downes to plan this sickening attack on officers who were simply carrying out their core job of protecting their community."

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. Christine used this failed attack as a ‘trial run’ for the strike on 28 May when she threw two IEDs at officers from the lane beside the house she had lured officers to.

A claim of responsibility for the attack on 28 May, 2013 made from a Public Call Box in the Shrewsbury area formed a major part of the PSNI enquiry.

Detectective Campbell continued: "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.

(CD)