RAF Menwith Hill: Man posing as MI6 agent took machete and samurai sword to Yorkshire spy base

Christian Sollitt, 44, drove to RAF Menwith Hill near Harrogate with an array of weaponry inside his car, believing he was on a mission to “investigate terrorism”, York Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Oliver Connor said after parking his vehicle in the car park next to the site, Sollitt approached a police officer on duty at the missile-warning base and “asked if he could speak with somebody as he was working as an MoD (Ministry of Defence) guards service officer”.

Sollitt told the officer he was “carrying out investigations into terrorism” and “wanted to discuss (obtaining) a pass into the base”.

“He said he was an MI6 agent working under cover and in need of assistance,” added Mr Connor. “When he was asked for identification, he handed over his UK driving licence.”

Sollitt told the officer “all manner of things”, even claiming he had met the Queen “on several occasions” and had been discussing how to “stop nuclear power”.

Mr Connor said during the “unusual conversation”, Sollitt told the officer he was “seeking body armour” and “looking for more weapons” at the MoD-run air base.

The police constable, who was joined by two other officers, noticed a small knife hanging from Sollitt’s trouser pocket. Sollitt handed it and another knife from his belt to the officer. He told him he also had a crossbow in his car boot.

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Police searched the vehicle and found a Samurai sword in the front passenger seat, a large black machete in the boot and a black carbon-fibre crossbow.

The fake spy was arrested on suspicion of carrying offensive weapons and was subsequently brought in for questioning.

“He told officers he had been on a wild-camping trip but abandoned it owing to inclement weather,” said Mr Connor. “He said he was told he was an M16 agent by a number of people.”

Sollitt said there was also a personal or family issue that he had “wanted to discuss with the police or military”.

He was charged with three counts of possessing an offensive weapon and four counts of carrying a bladed article in a public place. He denied the allegations but was found guilty of the four counts of carrying blades following a three-day trial in November.

He was acquitted of the three counts of possessing offensive weapons after the jury concluded he wasn’t carrying the items with maleficent intent or to do harm.

During the trial, the jury heard Sollitt had “three different types of small knife” with him when he turned up at the RAF base, nicknamed ‘Son of Star Wars’, on June 25, 2022. They included a folding pocket knife and a small flick knife. Sollitt claimed the knives were for “carving and food preparation”.

He said the Samurai and machete were for “wood-processing” or chopping wood and that he had the axe to “hammer tent pegs into the ground”. He claimed he was carrying a crossbow simply “for fun”.

“He said he took it, along with other weapons, into the wilderness to practise with it and ‘set his sights,’” said Mr Connor.

He cast doubt on Sollitt’s claim he had been camping, reminding the jury the police officer said he didn’t see a tent or any food inside the car.

Sollitt claimed he had a “French-army-type” sleeping bag inside his vehicle, but Mr Connor said according to the officer, “there was nothing like that in the boot”.

The prosecution had to prove Sollitt had no “good reason” for carrying the Samurai, machete, axe and crossbow, otherwise they couldn’t be classed as offensive weapons in the eyes of the law.

The jury found in favour of the defence on those counts after Sollitt’s barrister Richard Barradell asserted his client wasn’t carrying the weapons with ill intent. However, they rejected Sollitt’s claim he was carrying the knives for a legitimate purpose, namely camping.

Sollitt, of Rawling Street, Keighley, appeared for sentence on Wednesday (Mar 6) for the four counts of carrying a bladed article.

Mr Barradell said a psychiatric report confirmed Sollitt had a “delusional disorder” which, “broadly speaking”, would have informed his “bizarre” behaviour at the air base. Judge Mr A Hatton said he was satisfied, following the jury’s verdicts, there was no intent to do harm with the crossbow, Samurai and the machete during the “bizarre” incident.

He was it was clear Sollitt was still labouring under a mental disorder which would require treatment from mental-health services. He also noted Sollitt had been “calm and co-operative” with police and had never been in trouble before.

Sollitt was given an 18-month community order with up to 25 days’ rehabilitation activity.