London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Encrypted messaging system used to procure gun for murder, court hears

Encrypted messaging system used to procure gun for murder, court hears

EncroChat service allegedly used to secure weapon for London killing and to plan another that did not take place
A sophisticated encrypted phone messaging system was used to supply a firearm for a murder and to hatch a failed plot to carry out another killing, an Old Bailey jury has been told at the trial of two men whose secret communications were intercepted.

The so-called EncroChat service was allegedly used to procure a firearm to carry out a murder in London in 2020 and to plan another that did not take place.

Paul Fontaine, 36, was a “criminal middleman” who supplied weapons, drugs and counterfeit currency to other professional criminals, communicating with them on encrypted phones, said the prosecuting counsel, Kevin Dent QC.

In this role, he conspired with others to transfer a firearm that was used in the murder of Abdullahi Mahmoud in March 2020, the court heard. He is charged with conspiracy to supply a firearm in connection with that murder.

Fontaine is also alleged to have conspired with Frankie Sinclair, 34, to murder a rival of Sinclair’s called Keiron Hassan, and others, in the course of a dispute between Sinclair and a rival group.

Sinclair allegedly sought the assistance of Fontaine to procure a handgun and ammunition to carry out a “revenge murder” after his mother’s home in Cardiff had come under attack. Both men are charged with conspiracy to murder.

During the messaging, Fontaine communicated his involvement in the murder of Mahmoud, indicating he had earlier arranged to supply a firearm for a murder, the court heard. Sinclair was alleged to have taken possession of a Walther PPK handgun and ammunition in order to kill Hassan.

Sinclair was involved in a dispute with a rival group that had escalated and led to his mother’s house being targeted by three men armed with firearms and a crossbow in March 2020. He believed that group of men to include or have been directed by Keiron Hassan and he engaged Fontaine’s services to carry out the murder of the attackers, the court heard.

The court heard that Hassan was soon afterwards taken into custody and thus the attack could not take place. Sinclair was said to have also been involved in supplying class A drugs, offences for which he has already pleaded guilty.

“EncroChat devices are like mobile phones but they are highly secure,” said Dent. “They offer higher levels of security. An EncroChat device can only communicate with another EncroChat device, not the kind of mobile you could use for cinema tickets or to order a pizza … each device is assigned a unique handle or name.”

The court heard that Sinclair’s handle was “Nudetrain” and Fontaine’s was
“Usualwolf”.

The handsets cost more than £1,000 and were not available in shops. “It is an expensive product but an extremely useful device for organised criminals to use in order to be able to communicate with others without anyone outside being able to find out,” the court heard.

Although law enforcement agencies had later been able to access the information available on the devices, “at the time users thought that no one else could. We suggest that they [Sinclair and Fontaine] were pretty upfront and explicit, there was no beating about the bush.”

In one communication, Fontaine had indicated that he was short of firearms “because part of his own stock had been used in a murder”. In another message Sinclair asked Fontaine for “sweets”, which the court was told meant bullets, which cost £10 each.

“Need them sweets ain’t looking to waste none,” said another message. A further one read “I need 2 savages so can do 2 glides in 1 wA u saying I pay them,” which the prosecution suggested was Sinclair’s request to Fontaine for extra manpower and cars to assist him.

Another reference in messages was to “duppy”, a slang term for ghost, indicating that death would be involved. Sinclair supposedly referred to the handgun in the messages as a “James Bond ting”.

“They were both also involved in other criminal enterprises,” the court heard. “Paul Fontaine, as part of his role in serving the needs of criminals, was also involved in the supply of heroin and counterfeit currency.”

Both men deny conspiracy to murder and all other charges.

The trial continues.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Bunkers, Billions and Apocalypse: The Secret Compounds of Zuckerberg and the Tech Giants
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
×