Three UK men, including one from Somerset, have been charged with allegedly orchestrating fake emergencies to prompt an emergency response in the USA and Canada, commonly known as ‘swatting’. The three individuals are set to appear at Liverpool Magistrates' Court tomorrow.
Liam White, 22, of Weston-super-Mare, and Dylan Ash, 18, of Warrington, Cheshire, along with Keiron Ellison, 18, of St Helens in Merseyside, have been charged after authorization from the Crown Prosecution Service for Merseyside Police.
White and Ash face three counts of conspiring to pervert the course of justice, while Ellison faces two similar charges. The offenses are related to incidents in the USA and Canada.
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Detective Sergeant Steve Frame of Merseyside Police stated, “The charges follow a thorough investigation by Merseyside Police in collaboration with US law enforcement, including the FBI. They pertain to the online activities of an internet-based group between October 2022 and April 2023, which planned and executed hoax calls to emergency services and internet celebrities, reporting fictitious life-threatening incidents and ‘active shooter threats’ to prompt an emergency response.”
Bethan David, Head of the Crown Prosecution Service’s Counter Terrorism Division, emphasized, “It is crucial that there should be no reporting, commentary, or sharing of information online that could potentially prejudice these proceedings.”