Two high-level EncroChat criminals laughed at a fellow grenade dealer for trading prized “apples” on a normal phone.
Michael Hoy and Patrick Murray joked their contact was a “crazy fella”, with Murray warning: “Stay away from people like da init mate.“
What they did not know was that the encrypted communications service they were using had been hacked and their own messages would soon be in the hands of detectives.
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On April 7, 2020 Hoy and Murray discussed a deal for grenades via EncroChat, software loaded onto mobile phones that police say was used almost exclusively by gangsters.
Convicted murderer Hoy, who used the EncroChat handle TimelyBeta, contacted Murray - codenamed WeirdGun - to ask: “You got a pic of them new apples mate”.
Liverpool Crown Court was told “apples” is short for “ pineapples ” - a description given to American Mk2 fragmentation grenades.
Murray replied: “No mate but there meant to belters - I can try get viewing on them if need.” Hoy then said “This fella wants them all. 1250 told him.”
The 42-year-old later requested pictures of the grenades but the deal stumbled when it emerged that would be difficult because Murray’s contact was not using an encrypted device for his business,
Laughing at him for taking such a risk, Murray said: “He's on dog s*** mate trying to do apples.... He just says come meet him but he keen to get rid.”
Stephen McNally, prosecuting, said: “The interpretation of that conversation was that Patrick Murray was telling Michael Hoy that the seller of the hand grenades was using a standard phone rather than an EncroChat device.
“Later messages confirmed that to be the case and also demonstrated the incredulity of Patrick Murray and Michael Hoy that anyone would sell such a commodity in such an apparently casual manner."
Murray went on to joke: “Crazy fella isn’t he mate. Stay away from people like da init mate.”
Hoy, still trying to strike a deal over the grenades later contacted another EncroChat user, VladTheImpaler: “The kid with the apples don’t have enc the mad c*** so my mate told him to bring one for a pic tomorrow mate.”
At the time neither Hoy nor Murray were aware that, one week earlier, a joint Franco-Dutch operation had infiltrated EncroChat and their messages would soon be obtained by Merseyside Police.
Once they were, detectives linked the TimelyBeta and WeirdGun accounts to their owners through a series of details revealed through their messages.
Murray, of Gloucester Road in Huyton, later admitted explosives, gun and drugs charges.
Hoy, of Cranford Road in Garston, was convicted of explosives, gun and drugs offences after a trial.
He maintains he is not TimelyBeta even though in one message he tells a contact: “I’m Mike Brown.”
Hoy was formerly Michael Brown - his name when in 2001 he was sentenced to life with a minimum of 18 years for his role in the stabbing murder of Colin McGinty in Bootle.
Although it was accepted there was no evidence Murray and Hoy acquired the grenades or that any of the deals they discussed were concluded, both were found to have been involved in the trade of deadly weapons.
They each received life sentences for the explosives and gun charges and further jail terms in connection with their drug dealing.
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