A Youtuber who made a hoax bomb claim at Newcastle International Airport performed a previous similar stunt at Eldon Square in the city, a court was told.
Garard Ndela was arrested minutes after arriving at the airport, shortly before 4pm on Monday July 3.
He was being recorded in the terminal building walking near to the check-in desks, claiming to have an explosive device.
Footage of the incident was played for a judge at Newcastle Crown Court, where Ndela appeared with co-accused Andre Antonio, who is alleged to have made the recording.
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The defendant was heard saying: “I’m at the airport now, with a bomb.
“I’m about to blow the airport up with my bomb.”
Speaking to his co-accused immediately prior to the stunt, Ndela was heard telling him: “I feel like I’m going to pass out, I’m so nervous.”
He was said to have intended to upload the footage to his YouTube channel, but the recording was interrupted by security staff and Northumbria Police officers, who detained him.
Appearing at Newcastle Magistrates’ Court two days after the incident, Ndela admitted communicating false information about a bomb hoax and the case was sent to the crown court for sentencing.
His alleged accomplice appeared alongside Ndela in the dock at the crown court yesterday (Wednesday August 2), where he denied the same charge.
Asked by Judge Christopher Prince what was his defence to the allegation, Antonio’s counsel, Susan Hirst, said he had not been aware that a bomb threat was to be made.
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Neil Jones, prosecuting, asked for the case to be put back for 14 days to allow the Crown to decide if it intends to also charge Ndela over a similar incident at Eldon Square, in Newcastle.
Mr Jones said when he was detained at the airport: “Mr Ndela was quite co-operative and supplied his social media handle to officers.
“That’s how they discovered on his social media profile You Tube videos from Eldon Square showing another recording with him uttering words of a similar variety and approaching an elderly gentleman in a wheelchair saying there was a bomb there.
“But there’s no evidence of who was the photographer (at Eldon Square).”
Mr Jones said the charging decision over that incident is “under review” by the Crown Prosecution Service.
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Sophie Allinson, for Ndela, said her client was told he would not be charged over the Eldon Square incident.
But Judge Christopher Prince said an “indication” not to charge is, “not necessarily binding.”
Judge Prince agreed to adjourn the hearing for a fortnight and bailed 20-year-olds Ndela, of Ellison Villas, Gateshead, and Antonio, of Chestnut Avenue, Cowgate, Newcastle, to appear back at the court on August 16.
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