«Breaking News» Teenager who made hoax United Airlines and school bomb threats is jailed

George Duke-Cohan, 19, has been jailed for three years at Luton Crown Court after making bogus bomb threats to hundreds of UK schools and sparking an airport security scare 

An autistic teenager who sat in his bedroom at home bombarding more that 1,700 schools with hoax bomb threats has been jailed for three years.  

George Duke-Cohan twice targeted schools in the UK and US with hoax messages, and caused havoc when he posed as a worried father claiming his daughter, supposedly on a flight from Heathrow, was on a hijacked flight with four gunmen armed with a bomb.  

The 19-year-old, from Watford, pleaded guilty in September to three counts of making hoax bomb threat and was sentenced today at Luton Crown Court. 

Jailing Duke-Cohan for three years, Judge Richard Foster said: 'You knew exactly what you were doing and why you were doing it, and you knew full well the havoc that would follow.

'You were playing a cat-and-mouse game with the authorities. You were playing a game for your own perverted sense of fun in full knowledge of the consequences.' 

Duke-Cohan stood nervously and fumbled with his pullover sleeves as he was sentenced to three years imprisonment.  

The teenager first created panic in March 2018 when he emailed thousands of schools in the UK warning about an explosive.

The 19-year-old, from Watford, pleaded guilty in September to three counts of making hoax bomb threat and was sentenced today at Luton Crown Court

More than 400 schools were evacuated as a result, according to the National Crime Agency.

Police arrested him days later, but he was able to send another batch of emails to schools in the US and UK while under investigation in April.

His messages claimed a pipe bomb had been planted on the premises.

Duke-Cohan was arrested for a second time and released on pre-charge bail with conditions that he did not use electronic devices.

More than 400 schools were evacuated as a result, according to the National Crime Agency. Police arrested him days later, but he was able to send another batch of emails to schools in the US and UK while under investigation in April

Before long his name was in the frame for a third hoax, regarding a bogus tip-off that hijackers had taken over a United Airlines flight between UK and San Francisco.

Detectives found that Duke-Cohan had made the calls to San Francisco Airport and their police force while he was on pre-charge bail for the two previous offences.

He was arrested for a third time at his home in Watford, Hertfordshire, on August 31 this year.

NCA senior investigating officer Marc Horsfall said Duke-Cohan's actions caused 'serious worry and inconvenience to thousands of people' and he had carried them out 'hidden behind a computer screen for his own enjoyment'. 

Judge Richard Foster sentencing comment

'You enrolled to study for a diploma in IT at West Herts College in Watford in September 2016. In October 2017 the college's website experienced a so-called 'denial of service' attack for which you were identified as the perpetrator.

'Whilst still on that course on January 31 2018 the college received a bomb threat which was taken seriously - 2,500 students and staff had to be evacuated. You admitted being responsible for the hoax email... neither of these matters form part of the charges for which you now fall to be sentenced, but represent the background against which the offences were committed.

'Within just a few days of being warned by police you were at it again. Between March 16 and March 18 2018 you sent emails to over 1,700 schools and other educational establishments, threatening to set off an explosive device if payment was not made as directed.

'Some schools had to be evacuated. By way of example, one threat was to a special school for those with learning difficulties which had to be evacuated. Similar emails were sent to other institutions with the added sophistication of including Arabic writing.

'You were arrested on March 21 and, after being cautioned you stated: 'I thought this was going to happen. I was expecting it.' One of your mobile phones which was seized was interrogated to reveal your usage of Twitter and the name 'Apophis Squad', claiming responsibility for targeting 24,000 schools in both this county and in the USA.

'While on bail, just a few weeks later you sent hoax emails to a further large number of schools and educational establishments both in this country and the USA threatening to set off an explosive device.

'The scale of the threat was huge, causing widespread panic - Marlborough College, the well known private school in Wiltshire, was targeted by you in both the March hoaxes and again in April.

'On the later date the email came from an Apophis Squad email address and included these chilling words: 'Student Report (Staff only). Hello, a male student will be sent into your campus as you start the day, he will look normal but what is in his bag is a bomb.

'The explosive that is in the two plastic bottles is called ANFO and it is a very powerful explosive device. The point is that when you put the school on lockdown this student will set off the bomb and will kill EVERY student in the room and maybe the rooms next to it'.'

The judge continued: 'The email goes on to make reference to the Columbine High School shooting.

'On Twitter the Apophis Squad again claimed responsibility for the April hoaxes and boasted that 24,000 schools in the UK and 30,000 in the USA had been targeted.

'An indication of your level of sophistication comes from an internet discussion site investigated by the police - the Mineman Alert Discord Discussion'... you accepted responsibility for these hoaxes and claimed that you are a psychopath with a history of killing small animals.

'You say you are part of a group of six who will not stop until you are arrested. You go on to say that the NCA (National Crime Agency) cannot arrest you because they did not have enough proof. You were arrested again on April 17 2018, and the April hoaxes form the basis of the second charge in time.

'You were again released under investigation and on bail but your exploits continued. On August 9 2018 you telephoned San Francisco international Aiport informing the operator who answered your daughter was travelling on United Airlines Flight UAL949 from London Heathrow and that she had called in a distressed state to say the plane had been hijacked.

'You said a man was pointing a gun at your daughter. The flight had 295 passengers and 16 crew members. You gave the false name Mike Sanchez... and an Apophis Squad email address. Your call was taken serious and was interpreted as a potentially genuine terrorist attack.

'A specialist response team was deployed and Flight UAL949 landed safely at 14:43 local time and was directed away from the terminal to a quarentined area.

'Twelve minutes later there was tweet using the Apophis Squad address stating 'One thing to say - UAL949 grounded b*tch! Don't try and drain our members next time! Hahahaha... 4 guys 1 bomb back of the plane.... 9/11 remake!'. You were arrested again on August 31 2018, and were remanded n custody.

'While in prison you bragged about your offended and said how funny it is to make hoax calls... and told a community psychiatric nurse how to design and build bombs. More recently, disturbing notes were found in your cell.'

Link hienalouca.com

https://hienalouca.com/2018/12/07/teenager-who-made-hoax-united-airlines-and-school-bomb-threats-is-jailed/
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George Duke-Cohan, 19, has been jailed for three years at Luton Crown Court after making bogus bomb threats to hundreds of UK schools and sparking an airport security scare 

An autistic teenager who sat in his bedroom at home bombarding more that 1,700 schools with hoax bomb threats has ...

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