Teenager who sent bomb threats to schools in Nottinghamshire is jailed for three years

A 19-year-old has been jailed for three years after sending bomb hoax emails to schools across the country - including a number in Nottinghamshire.

George Duke-Cohan sent the emails to more than 1,700 schools in the country between March 16 and March 19 this year.

At the time, Nottinghamshire Police confirmed a number of schools in Nottinghamshire had been affected by the hoax.

The messages contained a threat to set off an explosive device if payment was not made, including the chilling phrase: “If you try to call the cops we will blow up the device on the spot. Any attempt at defusing it yourself will cause it to explode.”

Police arrested Duke-Cohan days later, but, the court heard, he was able to send another batch of e-mails to schools in the US and UK while under investigation, reports Derbyshire Live.

Duke-Cohan was arrested for a second time and released on pre-charge bail with conditions that he did not use electronic devices.

However, again he was able to send a hoax message – this time to claim that hijackers had taken over a United Airlines flight fom Heathrow to San Francisco.

He was arrested for a third time at his home in Mutchetts Close, Watford, in August this year.

Duke-Cohan appeared at Luton Crown Court yesterday where he was sentenced to three years in jail.

The teenager had earlier pleaded guilty to three counts of making hoax bomb threats.

Anya Lewis, mitigating for Duke-Cohan, described him as “vulnerable” and “remorseful”.

The investigation was led by the National Crime Agency, (NCA).

Senior investigating officer Marc Horsfall said: “George Duke-Cohan made a series of bomb threats that caused serious worry and inconvenience to thousands of people, not least an international airline.

“He carried out these threats hidden behind a computer screen for his own enjoyment, with no consideration for the effect he was having on others.

“Despite being arrested and having conditions imposed restricting his use of technology, he persistently broke those conditions to continue his wave of violent threats.

“This investigation proves that operating online does not offer offenders anonymity.

“Duke-Cohan now has a criminal record which will harm his future career prospects and this should act as a deterrent to others.”

Judge Richard Foster told him he accepted he has autism spectrum disorder.

However, he told him: “You knew exactly what you were doing and why you were doing it, and you knew full well the havoc that would follow.

“You were playing a cat-and-mouse game with the authorities.

“You were playing a game for your own perverted sense of fun in full knowledge of the consequences.

“The scale of what you did was enormous.

“Schools were evacuated and, where they were not, those in charge had to take agonising decisions.”