Would-be cop killer Christine Connor pretended to be Swedish model ahead of murder bid against PSNI officers
Christine Connor was described as a "lone wolf" after she admitted a series of terror offences yesterday
A WOULD-BE killer posed as the model fiancee of a Swedish ice hockey star to entrap a man into helping her attempt to murder cops.
Christine Connor was described as a "lone wolf" after she admitted a series of terror offences yesterday, including a count of attempted murder linked to a bomb attack on police in Belfast.
Officers confirmed the 31-year-old from north Belfast used a fictitious name and profile picture that "bore no resemblance to her" to entice her suspected accomplice.
She called her own one-member organisation United Struggle.
Police branded Connor "deceitful and extremely dangerous" after she pleaded guilty to the charges.
The Press Association reported she used online pictures of Swedish model, fashion designer and blogger Sanne Andersson without her knowledge or consent.
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Stuart Downes, 31, had also been charged with a series of offences linked to the blast bomb attack on police officers in Belfast in 2013, but a coroner ruled he took his own life last year.
The attack unfolded in May 2013 when Connor hurled two pipe bombs at a police car in the Crumlin Road area of north Belfast.
The officers had been responding to a hoax 999 call from an apparently vulnerable woman when they were targeted. The devices exploded but the officers escaped injury.
Two weeks earlier, Connor attempted a similar attack but the improvised explosive did not detonate.
Connor pleaded guilty to six charges in total during a brief hearing at Belfast Crown Court on Wednesday.
As well as the attempted murder of a policeman, she admitted two counts of possessing explosives with intent to endanger life, two counts of causing an explosion likely to endanger life and one charge of preparing for terrorist acts.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and West Mercia Police worked together in what was a four-year investigation.
Detective Superintendent Kevin Geddes, of the PSNI's Serious Crime Branch, said: "She had two attempts at murdering police officers on two separate dates and both involved her making hoax 999 calls to lure them to where she was hiding."
Mr Geddes said a claim of responsibility phoned in from a public call box in the Shrewsbury area formed a major part of the investigation.
"This resulted in the identification of Stuart Downes as a suspect," he explained.
He added: "Today's outcome is the result of excellent joint working between the PSNI and West Mercia Police alongside the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit.
"A vast amount of evidence has been obtained from the examination of mobile telephones, computers, media devices and online networking sites which evidenced the conspiracy between Christine Connor and Stuart Downes.
"Working together, we have disrupted the activity of a dangerous individual who will now face the rigours of the criminal justice system."
Detective Inspector Martyn Barnes, of West Mercia Police, said: "The outcome at court today is the culmination of a significant and detailed investigation involving three UK police services.
"It is a positive example of how we do not work in silo and we hope this case reassures the communities we serve that we can and do work together to ensure justice is done."
Connor will be sentenced on June 20.
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