Didsbury man who used Tiktok to threaten to blow himself up at King Charles III’s coronation sentenced

A man has appeared in court charged after threatening to take his van to the King’s coronation and blow himself up - despite not even having a van.

Richard Jackson, 28, made the threats in several comments on a live feed on TikTok on May 4, just two days before the coronation.

But under police interview, he said has no means or intention to carry out his threat and was merely trying to get a reaction from others on the platform.

And a probe by counter terror cops confirmed Jackson was not in possession of any substances that could be used to carry out his threat - nor did he have a van.

Jackson, of Didsbury, Manchester, pleaded guilty to sending an electronic communication which conveyed a threat.

He was given a 12-month community order on June 22 and told to complete 120 hours of unpaid work by Manchester City Magistrates Court.

Louise Hartley, senior prosecutor for CPS North West, said: “Richard Jackson made several comments on TikTok that amounted to threatening to blow himself up at the coronation.

“Jackson didn’t get the reaction he was looking for, instead he found himself before the court. I hope in future he will think twice before commenting on social media.”