Somerset man appears in court charged with US hoax calls
22 year old Liam White from Weston-super-Mare was among three defendants
Last updated 1st May 2025
Three men, including one from Somerset, have appeared in court charged with making hoax calls to US and Canadian police, an activity known as swatting.
22 year old Liam White from Weston-super-Mare; Dylan Ash, 18, from Warrington, Cheshire, and Kieron Ellison, 18, from St Helens, Merseyside appeared at Liverpool Magistrates Court today (Thursday 1st May).
All three are charged with conspiring to pervert the course of justice in the jurisdiction of Canada and in the jurisdiction of the US between October 2022 and June 2023.
White and Ash are also charged with a third count of conspiring to pervert the course of justice in the US between July 2023 and October 2024.
White, wearing sunglasses on his head, appeared via videolink while Ash, in a white shirt and black trousers, and Ellison, wearing a grey T-shirt and blue tracksuit bottoms, stood in the dock.
The defendants were not asked to enter pleas to the charges.
District judge James Clarke granted all three bail to appear at Liverpool Crown Court on May 29th.
Ash and Ellison were subject to bail conditions including not to use social media sites such as Discord, Telegram and X, the court heard.
White was told not to contact the other two defendants.
Detective Sergeant Steve Frame from Merseyside Police, said: "The charges are the culmination of an extensive investigation by Merseyside Police working with US law enforcement, including the FBI.
"They relate to the online activities of an internet based group between October 2022 and April 2023, which (allegedly) planned, advertised and carried out calls to emergency services and internet celebrities reporting fabricated serious, life-threatening incidents, 'active shooter threats', to prompt an emergency response."