Self-proclaimed ‘evil Jesus’ paid dark web hitman £5,000 to kill prosecutor

Martin Ready suffers from delusional disorder and thought murder would expose organised crime, court told

(Police Scotland)

A man convicted of plotting to kill a prosecutor after claiming to identify as “evil Jesus” continues to suffer from delusional disorder, according to a psychiatrist’s report to a court.

Martin Ready, 41, was found guilty of attempting to conspire to murder Darren Harty by using cryptocurrency to pay for a hitman on the dark web.

Between May 2021 and September 2022, Ready paid £5,071.24 in Bitcoin and sent instructions for Mr Harty to be shot.

The men knew each other from a pub owned by Mr Harty’s family in Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire.

At the High Court in Edinburgh on Monday, Ready’s defence counsel, Brian McConnachie KC, said the court had been provided with a report from forensic psychiatrist, Dr Stuart Doig.

Mr McConnachie said: “In Dr Doig’s opinion, Mr Ready continues to suffer from delusional disorder. Dr Doig submits an interim compulsion order would be appropriate.”

Martin Ready, who plotted to kill a prosecutor, still has delusional disorder, the High Court in Edinburgh was told (PA Archive)

Such orders allow for the detention of a convicted person with a mental illness in the state hospital.

The defence counsel said a further report is needed before the order could be enacted, along with confirmation that a state hospital bed is available.

During the trial earlier this year, 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.

He told the court his motivation by plotting the murder on the dark web – which was exposed by a documentary maker – was to reveal “money washing” which he alleged was happening at the pub.

Mr Harty gave evidence on the first day of the trial, and said money laundering was “absolutely not” happening at the pub where he worked around a decade ago while at university.

Prosecutor Erin Campbell put to Ready: “Can I suggest that you thinking you were Jesus was a running joke?”

Ready replied: “No. At the time, I genuinely believed I was Jesus and that the actions I took were to expose the criminality I had been subjected to.”

He added: “I knew murder is illegal, that is correct. At the time I was genuinely delusional and believed this was the right course of action.”

On Monday at the High Court, Mr Campbell said the Crown had made submissions for a non-harassment order.

Judge Lady Hood adjourned the case to 21 November at Inverness High Court.