This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

A retired GP from Dorset ordered the contract killing of a financial adviser via a website linked to mobsters in Chechnya, a jury has been told.

David Crichton allegedly contacted a site on the dark web called Crime Bay by Chechen Mob because he had a vendetta against Andrew Boldon over a loss of £300,000 from his pension.

Crichton, from Bournemouth, was allegedly prepared to pay £3,800 for the hit but was caught after the National Crime Agency (NCA) investigated the website.

The 64-year-old is on trial at Winchester crown court accused of attempting to solicit the murder of Bolden, a pension and wealth investment adviser based in Edinburgh for the London-based private bank Brown Shipley.

Crichton is also accused of three charges of sending malicious communications with the aim of making Bolden fear that he – Crichton - would kill himself.

Simon Jones, prosecuting, said the defendant had created an account on the website before he chose the option to “kill the bastard” – with other options available being “beat the shit out of him”, “set his car on fire” and “set his house on fire”.

The prosecutor said: “The defendant’s intention could not be clearer. The steps he took were very clearly an attempt to solicit, ask for, request, seek a murder.”

Giving more details of the “mob” website, Jones said: “The Chechen Mob website works similar to a bulletin board, where a user fills out details of the target and hitmen can then apply for the contract.

“What the prosecution say is that the defendant’s vendetta was getting out of control. That led him to the dark web and he has created an account on the Chechen Mob website. Dr Crichton’s username was Potterman and he signed up on 16 February 2017.

“The order was submitted, the button has been clicked, although no payment was made and there was never any evidence of any contact made.”

Jones said Crichton met Bolden when the latter was running a seminar on NHS pensions in Bournemouth in September 2011. Bolden gave the GP paid-for advice on how to invest his £1.8m pension.

The prosecutor said: “Dr Crichton delayed some aspects of his advice, he missed certain deadlines and incurred a tax penalty.”

He said Crichton made a complaint to the financial regulator but Bolden was found to have given correct advice.

Crichton allegedly sent the adviser hundreds of emails before he was blocked and then sent a text message to Bolden on 4 February 2017, saying: “I am contacting you out of desperation, I believe you are the only person who can help save my life.”

He sent another message on 4 March, saying: “I remain desperate to speak to you and since you know my life is at risk I can’t believe you are obstructing me in this.”



The prosecutor said Crichton told police he had been “drunk and feeling suicidal” when he accessed the dark web site, and had become obsessed with hitmen but had “thought it was a game and it wasn’t real”.



Crichton denies the charges. The trial continues.