Cult members who ‘wanted to build their own legal system’ jailed for plot to kidnap coroner

Four members of a group plotting to kidnap a coroner have been jailed.

Mark Christopher, 59, and Matthew Martin, 47, both from east London, along with married couple Shiza Harper, 45, and Sean Harper, 38, both from South Benfleet, Essex, were found guilty of conspiracy to kidnap and conspiracy to commit false imprisonment in July.

During the trial, Chelmsford Crown Court heard that Lincoln Brookes, senior coroner for Essex, received a series of “very strange” letters in 2022, followed by emails saying “corporal punishment may be used”.

Mr Brooks described the reports, which claimed they were warrants to seize goods and people, as “disturbing” and “upsetting”. In one of them, he stated that he was accused of “harmful necromancy.”

The court was told that on April 20, 2023, the defendants went to Chelmsford Coroner’s Court in handcuffs looking for Mr Brooks, but he was not there at the time.

Summing up the case, Judge Goss told the jury that the defendants were “members of a group called the Federal Postal Court or the People’s Court.”

In sentencing, the judge called Christopher “manipulative and dishonest.” He said Christopher was a “self-proclaimed leader” with the title of “Chief Justice of England and all the Dominions”.

He added that Martin was a “sheriff and coroner,” Shawn Harper was a “sheriff” and his wife Shiza Harper was a “postal inspector and auditor.”

Detective Chief Inspector Nathan Hutchinson, of Essex Police, said: “The ideology of this group was troubling and they genuinely believed they had the power to build their own legal system, threaten others and were above English law.”

He praised coroner’s court staff for acting “calmly and rationally during a frightening and traumatic ordeal.”

Christopher, who was also found guilty of sending threatening letters to Mr Brooks with intent to harass or harass, was sentenced to seven years for conspiracy to kidnap and 18 months for malicious intent to run concurrently.

The other three were sentenced to 30 months in prison for conspiracy to commit kidnapping and conspiracy to commit false imprisonment – with each charge running concurrently.

The four defendants have denied all charges. Martin was found not guilty of separate charges of assaulting a security guard and causing criminal damage.