Cov man faked hostage situation as hoax saw man shot in the face

Claiming to be armed with a gun and several bags of explosives, he said that he would kill three hostages unless he received $15,000 (£12,000). As a result of the call made by Walker-McDaid, innocent man Dobbs was shot in the face and chest and suffered severe injuries.

He had to undergo reconstructive surgery after the Coventry video gamer's reckless actions. Police believed he was the person making the hostage and bomb threat.

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The Coventry man had been told by a friend in the US that he had 'someone I need swatted' and shared the victim's address. 'Swatting' sees fake calls made to emergency services to cause panic and get an armed response unit sent out to neutralise a perceived threat.

It is not recognised as a standalone offence in the UK. Yet the Crown Prosecution Service worked with both domestic and international partners to build the strongest possible case against Walker-McDaid.

Today, at Warwick Crown Court, Walker-McDaid was sentenced to 20 months' imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, after earlier pleading guilty to one count of perverting the course of justice, says the CPS. He was also ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work and pay compensation of £1,000 to Mr Dobbs.

Walker-McDaid had earlier been the first person charged in the UK with offences associated with the phenomenon of 'swatting.' Police charged the then-21-year-old man in April 2017.

Hannah Sidaway, Specialist Prosecutor for CPS West Midlands, said: "Swatting is far more than a crude prank, it is a serious crime which can have devastating consequences. Walker-McDaid may not have intended to cause such serious harm, but by sowing panic and deceiving law enforcement into responding to a fictitious threat, he left an innocent man with life-changing injuries.

"British-based offenders who hide behind online anonymity to commit serious crimes abroad will not escape justice, and we will continue to work collaboratively with international partners to ensure that perpetrators will face the full force of the law."

Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland, added: "We will continue to use every tool at our disposal and work closely with our international partners to ensure that those who seek to harm Americans will face justice, wherever they may be."

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