Jack Mason adopted a persona inspired by a killer who murdered police officers having developed a grudge after his arrest
Jack Mason(Image: Merseyside Police)
A thug claimed a massacre in which 16 children died was “a waste of a mass shooting” in a shocking 360-word diatribe. Jack Mason adopted a pseudonym inspired by a killer who murdered police officers as he cooked up a chilling “recipe” for “tasting blood”.
Mason had developed a grudge with Merseyside Police after being arrested by a PC who he was subsequently banned from contacting following a campaign of harassment. He then went on to warn Chief Constable Serena Kennedy that he had a gun and threatened to “cut her face off” amid rioting in the city last summer.
In one disturbing email, he even claimed to gain a “sense of sexual pleasure” from his fantasies of extreme violence and claimed: “Soon people will die. When it’s all over the news, when you see my name, it’ll all make sense.”
Liverpool Crown Court heard yesterday afternoon, Monday, that Mason was previously detained by the force for “obstructing a drug search and resisting arrest” back in 2021. The 31-year-old, of Grasmere Avenue in St Helens, then went on to bombard the arresting officer with a string of threatening phone calls over the space of around two weeks, telling him on one occasion: “I’ll just f***ing blow your head off, you little d***head.”
Nardeen Nemat, prosecuting, described how this led to him being convicted of harassment and issued with a restraining order which banned him from contacting the PC until June 2022. The officer in question later left Merseyside Police, with his collar number thereafter being given to a student PC.
Mason then began contacting this officer on February 7 last year under the name “Harry Roberts”, a moniker which was said to have been inspired by a criminal who murdered three police officers in London in the 1960s and who he had watched a documentary on. In his emails, he initially claimed to have “evidence to give” in relation to a case.
But this was followed up in the early hours of the next day with another message, in which he stated: “Come on now Jack, don’t be ignoring me you stupid b****rd”. Soon, people will die. When it’s all over the news, I want you to think back to this lovely email and when you see my name it’ll all make sense.”
At 10pm on that date, Mason sent a third email reading: “C’mon now Jack. You weren’t very silent in your 300-page statement you gave to the court, was you? Little boy soon to have blood on his hands, and how beautiful it will be.
“You might have been able to deal with the other guy, but me. Oh, I’m something different. And when I’m at the wheel, I won’t hesitate to slice your throat open.
“I only hope you would be there on the big day, but the odds aren’t in my favour. Either way I will be tasting blood, even if it’s not yours. Recipe: two Glocks, one .38, eight magazines, one uniform, one stab proof vest, one bottle of petrol, one lighter, one police station.”
On February 17, Mason sent a further email warning “time is almost up”. This led to him being arrested on March 1, although no action was taken against him at this stage as detectives were unable to find any evidence linking him to the Harry Roberts account.
He would subsequently participate in violent scenes which erupted in the city centre on August 3 following the fatal stabbings of six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport. Messages from the previous day showed him asking an “acquaintance”: “Do you know where there’s any protests meeting up because of the foreigners in the country and that?”
Mason added it was “kicking off in Sunderland already” and remarked there was some “[racial slurs] in Liverpool as well”, saying: “Going to town tomorrow, I just want to know where. Is it definitely at the Town Hall tomorrow?”
This was confirmed to him, but when told the “English Defence League are meeting in St Helens tomorrow”, he replied “f*** St Helens, on my way to town now”. This message was accompanied by an emoji showing a flexed bicep.
On the day of the rioting, Mason was caught on camera smashing bricks onto the floor on the Pier Head and launching a missile towards police officers. In this footage, he was shown with a balaclava covering his face and wearing the same khaki green shirt that he wore in the dock.
Then, on August 15, he resumed his emails under the guise of Harry Roberts. On this occasion, Mason contacted Merseyside Police’s Chief Constable Serena Kennedy stating: “One gun acquired, two more to go. It will be a glorious day.”
The following morning, he said in a further message to Deputy Chief Constable Chris Green asking him how it would feel to watch Chief Constable Serena Kennedy’s face being “cut off.” He went on to say killing officers would be a “dream come true” and described the killing of 16 children in Scotland as a “waste of mass shooting.” This appeared to be a reference to the Dunblane massacre, in which 16 children and a teacher were shot dead at a primary school in 1996.
Mason was then further arrested on September 18. During a search of his home address, officers seized items including an airsoft gun, a noose, a knife, a drawing of a swastika, stickers bearing the words “white lives matter” and racial slurs, two suicide notes and a small quantity of cannabis.
A further examination of his mobile phone also revealed a picture of the defendant wearing a swastika armband, a photograph of a rainbow flag being burned and an image containing the message: “Don’t blame me. I voted for Hitler.”
Mason has a total of five previous convictions for seven offences, including two appearances for resisting police in 2022. He then faced a malicious communications offence later that year after threatening to “attend St Helens Police Station with a firearm”.
In January 2023, he was handed an 18-month community order for a similar charge after sending a series of texts to a female police officer in which he said he was “intending to purchase a firearm” and was “thinking of going shooting police officers at the police station”. He added in his messages that he was “quite fixated on the idea at the moment”.
Paul Becker, defending, told the court on Monday the death of Mason’s dad had led to a “significant effect on his mental health”, with his client having shown “suicidal and autistic traits”. His counsel added: “It does have to be immediate custody, and of some length, but I ask you to make it as short as possible.”
Mason pleaded guilty to violent disorder, five malicious communications offences and possession of cannabis. Sporting a shaved head, a beard and glasses, he showed no reaction as was jailed for four years and four months and handed a five-year criminal behaviour order.
Sentencing, Judge David Potter said: “You knew that Harry Roberts was a figure from the 1960s who had murdered police officers, and you assumed that person’s name deliberately. You told the officer that you were wanting to get in touch over some evidence however, the following day, you began the first of several threatening messages.
“Following your participation in the violent disorder, your threats substantially increased and now targeted the Chief Constable of Merseyside Police, Serena Kennedy. Your email contained a specific and detailed description of the violence you wanted to commit upon Chief Constable Kennedy.
“It was a direct threat to life. While she of course requires a strong degree of resilience to carry out her duties, she nonetheless is human and threats like this are pervasive and intrusive.”
Of Mason’s involvement in the violent disorder, the judge added: “I am satisfied that your offending was motivated by religious or racial hatred. You plainly attended these protests because of a deep seated hatred of Islam and non-white ethnic groups.”
Merseyside Police’s Detective Inspector Paula Jones said following the sentencing: “Mason not only threw bricks at officers during the disorder, he went on to make threats to kill them. His behaviour towards officers who turn up to work every day to enter challenging and sometimes dangerous situations to protect the public was, quite frankly, deplorable.
“The contrast between Mason’s behaviour and that of the officers deployed to protect people and property that day could not be starker, and I hope he spends his time behind bars reflecting on his actions. This year, we continue to arrest, charge and sentence those involved in Merseyside disorder.
“Mason is now removed from the community that he terrorised by his appalling behaviour. The actions of those who took part in the disorder not only seriously injured officers but also caused harm and fear to people in Liverpool city centre.
“The sentencing results we have seen so far for disorder shows how seriously the courts take this matter. Mason now finds himself at the beginning of a jail term.
“We continue to review footage and information and will not stop until we’ve put everyone we possibly can before the courts. Merseyside Police have to date arrested 165 people, charged 125 and sentenced 91 for a total of more than 190 years.”