Escaped convict tried to ‘blow up’ bank after being angry over Netflix show

An escaped prisoner planned to ‘blow up’ a bank after being angered by a Netflix series. Alan Murphy was left ‘furious’ after watching a Netflix documentary that ‘claimed to expose a high street bank allegedly financing terrorism and drug cartels in Mexico’.

When police visited a campervan in Blackpool where Murphy, 62, was living to carry out a ‘welfare check’, he told officers he had a gun and an improvised explosive device (IED) in his bag. Murphy said he was ‘going to use’ the IED to ‘blow up a bank’ because he ‘saw it on a TV programme’.

A 100-metre perimeter was set up while a specialist team from Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service carried out tests on the bag’s contents. “Officers seized the IED, two imitation firearms, fireworks and a knife, along with a pre-written note to the bank outlining his demands for bank cards and a threat that he would detonate the IED if they did not comply,” the Crown Prosecution Service said in a statement.

READ MORE: A party-goer who couldn’t turn down a £10,000 paycheck is in custody after being stopped by Border Force at Manchester Airport

“Murphy was charged with five offences, including two offences of possessing an explosive substance with intent, two offences of possessing an imitation firearm and one offence of possessing a knife. He pleaded guilty to four of the five offences at court and said he intended to damage the Blackpool bank or bank staff’s cars but did not want to hurt anyone.

“He said he became enraged after watching a Netflix documentary that alleged a high street bank was financing terrorism and drug cartels in Mexico. He was acquitted of the latest offence of possession of an explosive substance with intent to endanger life after a trial in April this year.”

On Friday, Murphy was sentenced to 15 years in prison with a five-year extended licence at Liverpool Crown Court. At the time of the incident, on November 26, 2020, Murphy was wanted, of no fixed address, after leaving an open prison nine months earlier and failing to return. He initially gave officers a false name.

After the hearing, Joe Isaacs, of Lancashire Constabulary, said: “Murphy is clearly a dangerous individual who had armed himself with devices that had the potential to cause significant harm to the public. Thanks to the support and information provided by the general public and other emergency services – combined with the good investigative policing of the officers at the scene – Murphy was apprehended before he could cause any significant harm.”

Tom Snape, Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West, said: “Alan Murphy is a dangerous man who planned to carry out a terrifying bomb attack on a bank and its staff. It is fortunate that officers were present that day and acted quickly to prevent Murphy from carrying out his plan, which could have had devastating consequences.

“I hope this conviction and sentence provides some reassurance that this man has now been brought to justice. We will continue to work closely with the police to do all we can to ensure the safety of our communities.”