Prisoner made bomb threats on jail’s phone

A PRISONER prompted a terrorist alert when he used a phone installed in his cell to make a string of hoax calls threatening to blow up a railway station.

Daniel Truelove who had been given the phone by prison chiefs for “good behaviour”, caused panic when he said he would blow up Lime Street station in Liverpool, claiming he was a member of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil).

Hannah Griffiths, prosecuting, said: “In one call he told the operator he was part of Liverpool Isil, carrying an Islamic State flag and wearing a tactical vest containing explosives.

“On another call, Truelove said he was by a pay-phone at the station and was under pressure to behead his family. He was arrested after the calls were traced to his cell.”

Liverpool magistrates’ court was told that, as a result of the calls, British Transport Police increased searches at the station and deployed extra officers authorised to carry Tasers.

Truelove, 20, pleaded guilty to communicating a bomb hoax. He will be sentenced at a later date.

G4S, the private security contractor which runs Altcourse Prison on Merseyside where Truelove made the calls, said it had no plans to scrap the phone scheme.

Dave Thompson, director of HMP Altcourse, said: “In line with many prisons across the country, HMP Altcourse is moving to install telephones into prisoners’ cells as evidence suggests it supports their rehabilitation and resettlement on their release.”