How ‘swatting’ reached UK as gamer becomes first Brit to be convicted over craze after call to US cops saw rival shot
A GAMER has become the first Brit to be convicted over “swatting” after his call to US cops saw a rival blasted in the face.
Robert Walker-McDaid, 28, called the Maryland terrorism hotline claiming Tyran Dobbs had plastic explosives and hostages.
A SWAT team then swooped on his home and shot him in the face and chest – leaving him with life-changing injuries.
Walker-McDaid was the first Brit to be charged in the UK with offences related to so-called swatting.
The craze sees fake calls made to emergency crews with the aim of scrambling armed response units.
Although swatting is recognised as a law in the US, Walker-McDaid was charged with perverting the course of justice.
He avoided jail and was instead handed a 20 month sentence, suspended for 18 months, after admitting the offence.
The horror unfolded in 2015 when another man, Zachary Lee, messaged video game pal Walker-McDaid saying he had “someone I need swatted” and shared the victim’s address.
Walker-McDaid then posed as Tyran and told the terrorist hotline he was armed with three hostages.
The gamer also claimed the first hostage would be “executed within 15 minutes” unless he received $15,000 in cash.
Fearing a real threat, the Swat team shot Tyran in the face and chest with plastic bullets.
The victim had to undergo reconstructive facial surgery as a result.
Howard County Police Department, the FBI and Interpol later discovered Walker-McDaid was behind the hoax by tracking his IP address.
Zachary Lee was jailed for two years in the US for his role in January 2018.
Swatting has gained a chilling popularity in the US in recent years but now appears to have found its way to Britain.
A caller will often give the address of a home and give fake crime reports to police that are usually related to bomb threats, hostage situations or murder.
Some hoax calls have resulted in people’s homes being raided and innocent people held at gunpoint by police but others have been deadly.
In December 2017, Andrew Finch was shot dead by the Wichita Police Department after officers were alerted to a suspected hostage situation at his house.
Serial swatter Tyler Barriss also falsely claimed Andrew had murdered his father and covered the house in flammable gasoline.
What is swatting?
Swatting involves a hoax caller making a false report of a serious crime to trick police into storming a specific location, usually someone’s home.
Often, the caller will claim there is a hostage situation or shooting to ensure an armed raid involving a SWAT team is carried out.
Pranksters will use a fake caller ID to avoid detection or phone spoofing to hide their location.
The FBI first posted about the craze in 2008 but has since seen a rise in “celebrity swatting”, as well as political figures being targeted.
In the US, the trend is a criminal offence but falls under perverting the course of justice in the UK.
When armed cops arrived, the unarmed dad opened the door and was gunned down.
Hannah Sidaway, Specialist Prosecutor for CPS West Midlands, said: “Swatting is far more than a crude prank – it is a serious crime which can have devastating consequences.
“Walker-McDaid may not have intended to cause such serious harm, but by sowing panic and deceiving law enforcement into responding to a fictitious threat, he left an innocent man with life-changing injuries.
“British-based offenders who hide behind online anonymity to commit serious crimes abroad will not escape justice, and we will continue to work collaboratively with international partners to ensure and perpetrators will face the full force of the law.”
High-profile swatting victims
Miley Cyrus
Police received an urgent phone call from someone claiming the singer’s home was being invaded by armed thugs.
Worried cops sent over helicopters and a high number of officers with heavy armour and weaponry to her home only to discover that no one was even in the house.
Tom Cruise
The Top Gun star was a swatting victim in 2013 when Beverly Hills cops stormed up to his mansion after being told there was an “armed robbery in progress” at his address.
Cops searched the property and found no one had been inside and nothing was missing.
Justin Bieber and Ashton Kutcher
In December 2012, a 12-year-old was arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department for making prank calls to the homes of the two celebrities.
They made reports of violence at both properties and said there was an active shooter inside the homes.
IShowSpeed
Popular YouTuber and streamer IShowSpeed was handcuffed by police officers after they entered his home after getting a call as he was live streaming to millions.
Speed can be heard saying to cops: “I didn’t know, bro. Oh my god, bro. I swear I didn’t do anything. I didn’t do s***.”
Other streamers such as Adin Ross and Kalani have also been swatted and caught on camera.
Andrew Finch
Dad Andrew was shot dead in December 2017 after becoming a victim of swatting.
Police were alerted of a suspected hostage situation at Finch’s house as well as claims he had murdered his father and covered the house in flammable gasoline.
Serial swatter Tyler Barriss made the call after being approached by a pal.
When the armed cops arrived on Finch’s doorstep they ordered him to leave the property.
He opened the door unarmed and court documents showed he made no threatening gestures to alert police.
But he was killed just 10 seconds afterwards.
Barriss later agreed to serve 20 to 25 years in jail as part of a plea agreement for not only his role in Finch’s death but also for 50 other charges related to swatting calls.