'Anti-establishment' group stormed Essex court to kidnap coroner, trial hears
An "anti-establishment protest cult" group attempted to storm a coroner's court to kidnap the senior coroner, a trial has heard.
Three men and a woman have denied the attempted kidnap and false imprisonment of Senior Coroner Lincoln Brookes at Essex Coroner's Court in Chelmsford in April 2023.
On Tuesday, their trial heard the "Federal Postal Court" group, which rejects the authority of the UK government, were incited to "condemn" the court and shut down the building.
Jurors heard members of the group had expressed a wish to detain and take Coroner Brookes to Chelmsford Police Station, with the leader claiming the coroners court was carrying out "detrimental necromancy".
Prosecutors said Mark Kishon Christopher, 58, of Claremont Road, London, had broadcast on the social media website Rumble on 17 April 2023, "inciting" his followers to storm and "condemn" the coroners' court in Essex.
The trial heard the group burst into an inquest and "demanded" to see Coroner Brookes while carrying handcuffs.
Court staff, including Coroner Brookes and the inquest's sitting deputy coroner Michelle Brown, were left "distressed" by the actions.
"Anti-establishment protest cult"Prosecuting, Allistar Walker said: "Mark was the self-appointed leader and chief judge of England for all members of the group called 'Federal Postal Court', or 'Court of the People'. It claims to have jurisdiction over all courts and corporations.
"The group has a significant following, as an anti-establishment protest cult with self-conferred court powers."
The court heard that Christopher, and then later the other defendants, sent letters to Coroner Brookes over the course of 2022 and the first few months of 2023 claiming to be "warrants" to shut down the court and remove him.
Mr Walker said the defendants were "serious" in their actions and the prosecution "takes them seriously as well".
"Want someone in cuffs today"On 20 April 2023, the four defendants attended Seax House just before lunchtime and walked into courtroom two, where coroner Brown was overseeing an inquest.
Christopher approached Coroner Brown and "demanded" to see Coroner Brookes.
Mr Walker said Shiza Brown then served a "notice" on the coroner to shut the court down, which contained a "glossary of anti-establishment terms" with another document "explicitly condemning" Coroner Lincoln Brookes.
Footage of the encounter was shown to the jury and Christopher could also be heard saying the court was practising "detrimental necromancy" and that people were "not dead on paper".
Coroner Brown can be heard in the footage asking the defendants "not to resort to violence", before further security arrive.Mr Walker said Martin was arrested at the scene while the other three defendants were arrested at Southend County Court later the same day, where they had also attempted to "condemn" the court building.
The jury was also told the defendants had brought handcuffs with them, although they were never used and they never saw Coroner Brookes.
The jury was told Sean Harper had sent messages prior to the incident saying that Mark Christopher "wants someone in cuffs today so we will see mate".
Christopher, along with Matthew Dean Martin, 48, of Dennington Road, London, Sean Andrew Dudley Harper, 38, of Benfleet Park Road, Benfleet, and Shiza Harper, 45, also of Benfleet Park Road, all deny conspiracy to kidnap, false imprisonment and sending letters to cause distress.
Additionally, Martin denies assault by beating and criminal damage in relation to an incident with a security guard on 20 April which resulted in his glasses being broken.The trial continues.
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