Chatham man ‘obsessed with COVID’ sent ‘suspicious packages’ to Downing Street and a Wuhan labratory

A man who allegedly sparked a bomb alert at a Covid vaccine plant sent similar suspicious packages to 10 Downing Street, a laboratory in Wuhan and the north Korean leader, a court heard today (November 15).

Anthony Collins, 54, was said to have developed an ‘obsessive interest’ in the pandemic and later told police he was simply trying to help scientists find a cure for coronavirus.

But while all his subsequent parcels were intercepted before reaching their intended recipients, including the one to Kim Jong-un, the first addressed to the chief executive at Wockhardt, one of the UK’s largest pharmaceutical companies, led to a major evacuation and the Army bomb disposal squad being called in.

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The parcel was delivered to the site in Wrexham, north Wales, by Royal Mail postman Huw Jones as part of his usual round on the morning of January 27 this year.

At the time, the facility on a large industrial estate was in the process of manufacturing the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine under a government contract.

But a jury at Maidstone Crown Court was told Mr Jones was concerned by the parcel being covered in ‘a lot of silly writing’ and, instead of leaving it at the reception desk, he alerted security guard, Ian Walker.

He too was suspicious and, fearing it may contain napalm, he placed the package some distance from the main building and by a bush before dialling 999.

Police attended and the Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal team was called in, along with the North Wales Fire and Rescue Service and electrical and gas utility representatives.

Having set up an initial 50-metre cordon, a remote-controlled vehicle was sent in to take an x-ray, which revealed what was thought to be batteries and electronic circuitory.

The cordon was therefore extended to 100 metres, a total of 120 staff were evacuated from two buildings, and a disruptor device was used to carry out a controlled explosion.

Inside the parcel were four batteries, a torch, paperwork, a Tesco receipt, a calculator and gardening glove, but no dangerous components.

Collins had also included a note marked ‘Contact Heddlu’, the Welsh word for ‘Police’, and his own name and address.

At the start of his trial, prosecutor Alan Gardner said there was no dispute that Collins sent the parcel to Wockhardt, as well as those intercepted over a number of following days.

But he told the jury Collins denies any intent to cause a bomb scare.

“The issue for you to consider is the question of his intention, whether it was to induce another to believe the article was likely to explode or ignite,” said Mr Gardner.

“The prosecution case is that his intention was to make another person believe that this would explode or ignite and cause damage or injury.

“The prosecution say it appears Anthony Collins had developed an obsession with issues relating to the Covid virus and the associated vaccines.

“Indeed, when his room was searched by police they found a notebook containing handwritten names and addresses of a number of pharmaceutical companies with links to Covid and the Covid vaccine.

“The prosecution case is that in sending the package to Wockhardt, the defendant actually wanted police to arrest and to charge him, which is why he wrote ‘Contact Police’ and why he included his name and address.

“He didn’t want there to be any mystery as to where the package had come from.”

The court heard that Collins was also obsessed with sending other letters and packages, and in August 2018 had sparked a security alert when he posted a parcel to Kent Police headquarters.

It was found to contain a DVD, paperwork and a toy police car.

Although arrested he was never charged. This left him ‘unhappy and annoyed’, said the prosecutor, and was the reason he included his details in the Wockhardt package.

He also would have known the likely consequences of sending a similar parcel again, added Mr Gardner.

Collins, of Chatham Hill, Chatham, denies one charge of dispatching an article with intent in that, on or about January 26 this year, he posted a package with the intention of inducing another a belief that the article was likely to explode or ignite and thereby cause personal injury or damage to a property.

The court heard that although the bomb scare caused the vaccine production to be suspended for several hours, the batch being worked on at the time was protected.

Collins was arrested the following day, telling police: “The whole point I sent it was to help them. Here I am getting into trouble for it. I have been totally misconstrued.”

“He was interviewed and told police his intention in sending the package to Wockhardt was to help scientists and the government deal with Covid-19,” said Mr Gardner.

“He said he had sent similar packages to a variety of other destinations including 10 Downing Street.

“He accepted he wanted whoever received the package (at Wockhardt) to contact police.

“He accepted the recipient might regard it with suspicion and that there might be something unsafe inside and call the army bomb disposal squad to deal with it.

“He accepted they might fear it was a bomb.”

The court heard he has not been charged in relation to the parcels sent to Downing Street, the Wuhan laboratory, the manufacturer of Oxford AstraZeneca, the US airforce base in Fairford, Gloucestershire, and the north Korean leader.

These parcels were intercepted by the Royal Mail between January 29 and February 2 this year, and contained a variety of harmless objects including batteries, a DVD, magnifiying glass, key fobs, gloves and thermometers.

On the one sent to Wockhardt were numerous, handwritten messages, including the words: “A person’s destiny cannot be avoided. This letter must not be stopped. Done in remembrance of all Covid-19 victims in the world, two million people.”

The court heard Collins also wrote: “My effort and determination says it all and speaks for itself. This is not for me, but for others. Thank you.

“I use my clever attitude and unusual method to help others and defeat your skills….We are all unique in our unique way”

There were also references to the hit 1970s US series The Six Million Dollar Man, and that any outstanding postal charges on the parcel would be covered by ‘HM Government’.

The trial continues.

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