Cult members jailed over coroner kidnap plot

Four members of an anti-establishment cult were jailed for storming a court with handcuffs and trying to kidnap a coroner.

Mark Christopher, 59, led the group that tried to shut down Essex Coroner's Court in Chelmsford having accused senior coroner Lincoln Brookes of "interfering with the dead" in April 2023.

Matthew Martin, 47, Sean Harper, 38, and his wife Shiza, 45, were part of the group, known as the Federal Postal Court, whose members believe they can overrule the UK judicial system.

All four were sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court having been convicted of conspiracy to kidnap and conspiracy to commit false imprisonment.

Christopher, from Forest Gate in east London, was also found guilty of sending a letter or email with intent to cause distress or anxiety.

He was jailed for seven years, while Sean and Shiza Harper, of South Benfleet in Essex, and Martin, from Plaistow in east London, were given 30-month sentences.

The judge, Mr Justice Goss, told the four they were part of an "anti-establishment cult" who relied on "non-existent powers" to further their aims.

This video has been edited due to technical issues with the court video feed.

The judge's sentencing remarks can be read in full at: https://www.judiciary.uk/judgments/r-...

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