Deidre Murphy, 62, allegedly staged the bomb hoax from a phone box as she was in a group of protesters against the event taking place inside the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff
A great-grandmother is accused of making two hoax calls to report a bomb in a bid to disrupt a military defence show.
Deidre Murphy, 62, allegedly staged the bomb hoax from a phone box as she was in a group of protesters against the event taking place inside the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff.
But the court heard there was no bomb inside the 7,500 capacity stadium – and Murphy just wanted the building evacuated.
Prosecutor Suzanne Thomas said: ‘At the time the calls were made, the defendant knew there was no bomb in the arena.
‘Her intention was to bring about evacuation so that the arms fair would be disrupted.’
Miss Thomas said the arena had been checked shortly after Murphy’s calls and security officials found nothing suspicious.
Murphy’s first call was to police at 10.43am, before making a second to a local newspaper at 11.21am, from separate phone boxes on March 28.
A jury at Cardiff Crown Court was played both calls.
In the first call, Murphy says: ‘I think there’s a bomb in the Motorpoint Arena.’
She told the operator that her friend is a cleaner at the venue, and he planted the explosives but hangs up when asked for his name.
In the second call to news company Media Wales, the woman says: ‘I would like to report the planting of a bomb.
‘I am from Radical Action Against War. We have planted a bomb at the Motorpoint.’
Police traced Murphy after checking CCTV footage from the phone box and she was arrested at 2.30pm the same afternoon.
She told officers: ‘I just want to say one little brief thing. I think you have arrested the wrong person. I think the people you should have arrested were the arms dealers.’
The Motorpoint Arena is located in Cardiff city centre and has hosted high profile music acts such as Arctic Monkeys, Stereophonics, Oasis and Kings of Leon, as well as comedian Lee Evans.
Police traced Murphy after checking CCTV footage from the phone box and she was arrested at 2.30pm the same afternoon
Protestors demonstrated against the Defence Procurement, Research, Technology and Exportability conference as they claimed it was an arms fair where weapons were being sold.
Murphy, from Swansea, denies two counts of communicating false information with intent but admits making the calls.
She told the court: ‘It was the only peaceful, non-violent thing I could do to prevent arms being traded.’
The trial continues.
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