Sentencing of ‘evil Jesus’ who plotted to kill prosecutor postponed

Sentencing of a man who claimed to identify as “evil Jesus” during a dark-web plot to kill a prosecutor has been postponed for three months for further psychiatric assessment.

Martin Ready, 42, was found guilty of attempting to conspire to murder Darren Harty by using cryptocurrency to pay for a hitman on the dark web following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow last year.

Between May 2021 and September 2022, Ready paid £5,071.24 in Bitcoin and sent instructions for Mr Harty to be shot on a dark website called Online Killers Market, which turned out to be fraudulent.

During the trial, Ready told the court he had suffered from delusions that he was “evil Jesus” and believed the murder of Mr Harty would expose organised crime in Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, where Mr Harty’s family owned a pub.

The men knew each other from the pub, but the court heard they had not seen each other for years before the plot.

Ready denied the charge and lodged a special defence of lacking criminal responsibility, but was convicted and remanded in custody at HMP Barlinnie. In February, he was moved to the Rowanbank Clinic medium secure unit in Glasgow ahead of his sentencing.

The court previously heard two psychiatrists were of the opinion that Ready suffers from “delusional disorder”, and an interim compulsion order was made to “authorise” psychiatric treatment.

During a short hearing at the High Court in Glasgow on Friday, a decision was made to extend the interim compulsion order for 12 weeks ahead of sentencing.

Ready, dressed in a pale blue polo shirt, appeared in the dock and did not show any emotion during the hearing.

Defending, Brian McConnachie KC said: “There is an up to date psychiatric report. The conclusion is that the interim compulsion order should be continued for 12 weeks to further assess Mr Ready’s condition.”

Judge Lady Hood said: “It does seem to me that’s the most appropriate course to take.

“The interim compulsion order will continue by calculation of the time which is sought. That will be continued until July 23 this year.”

The next hearing will be at the High Court in Kilmarnock on July 23.