The Essex Connection - Mutton Crew

Inside the Dark World of Digital Manipulation and Harassment

Lets start at the beginning.

2011: The Birth of TryLife

In 2011, Paul Irwin had a revolutionary idea: to create a film production company dedicated to choose-your-own-adventure films. His mission was simple but profound: to allow people to explore life’s paths before committing to any one direction. This interactive storytelling concept would give viewers the chance to "try life" before settling on any given path, transforming traditional film viewing into a more participatory experience.

2018: The Age of Interactivity

By 2018, the idea of interactive media became mainstream. Netflix’s Black Mirror episode Bandersnatch premiered, offering viewers the power to control the actions of the protagonist. This marked a new era in entertainment, where choices mattered, and the audience shaped the outcome. Around the same time, TryLife expanded its reach by producing six interactive episodes of its own, reinforcing the growing popularity of interactive media.

2019: The Pandemic and the Emergence of a Shadow Network

Then came 2019, and with it, the global pandemic of COVID-19. In the wake of the crisis, a team of social media experts was assembled to study and influence public behaviour. This group, working under the banner of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and PHIRST, aimed to shape public health messaging.

https://virtual-communities.thegovlab.org/case/essex-coronavirus-action

In 2018 in Washington DC and London a limited company supposedly a non-profit called ‘Brixton Endeavours’ was formed. On 30th of August 2019 it was then renamed to the ‘Center for countering digital hate ltd’ run by Simon Clark, Tom Brookes, Ayesha Saran and Morgan McSweeney who is now Keir Starmers chief of staff.

Imran Ahmed became the CEO for the CCHD in 2021.

https://wikispooks.com/wiki/Center_for_Countering_Digital_Hate

In 2020 both CCHD and Social Kind Ltd amongst others, emerged as key players in this mission to counter what they considered ‘digital hate’. Formed by three individuals, Simon Harris, Emmy Coffey McCarthy, and Kirsty O’Callaghan, the company quickly gained prominence for its role in shaping online discourse. However, its influence went far beyond public health campaigns.

The Key Figures: The Mutton Crew / CCHD and Their Manipulative Tactics

The team grew quickly to support the requirements at Essex council, enlisting a range of individuals with various backgrounds :

Emmy McCarthy, a social justice warrior and employee at META, helped align SocialKind’s operations with corporate and (NGO) philanthropic interests.

Kirsty O’Callaghan, the mysterious figure known for her work as a “social capital behaviour change ninja,” played a significant role in financing the operation by securing funding from local governments under minimum financial assistance funding and COMF.

Jon Morter, the social media provocateur, became a key adviser. Known for his mastery of disrupting narratives, Jon helped recruit a network of online influencers and built echo chambers of like-minded individuals.

Neel Mookherjee, Facebook employee / community lead and BBC broadcaster was enlisted to manage the community for three key projects along with a collection of enlisted celebrities.

Simon Harris, a blogger infamous for divisive content and working with Team Halo, began managing social media strategy, local messaging, and public health campaigns, despite backlash from existing social media teams at Essex council.

Skip to 31:15 : Simon Harris admits to being part of Team Halo.

Team Halo

Team Halo was a group of over 100 healthcare professionals and scientists from around the world who volunteered their time to make TikTok and other social media videos addressing concerns about COVID-19 vaccines. It was established as part of the United Nations Verified initiative in partnership with Purpose, Luminate and the Vaccine Confidence Project at the University of London’s School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The initiative aimed to address vaccine hesitancy and counter misinformation online with shareable videos about COVID-19.

Team Halo members, referred to as “guides,” are not told what to post about, but they receive training on how to communicate effectively and maximize their posts’ reach and engagement. They often take an identity-based approach to engage distrustful people in their communities. For example, Asher Williams, a presidential postdoctoral fellow at Cornell and a Team Halo guide, posted a TikTok of herself dancing in the lab and sharing facts about the safety and efficacy of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. Her videos have helped convince some people to get vaccinated.

Team Halo, faced criticism and corrections for some of their claims. Here are some instances where they were proved wrong or faced criticism:

• Claim about COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness in preventing transmission: Some Team Halo members claimed that COVID-19 vaccines were highly effective in preventing transmission, which was later found to be an oversimplification. Studies have shown that while vaccines reduce transmission, they are not 100% effective in preventing it.

• Assertion that mRNA vaccines do not alter DNA: Team Halo guides claimed that mRNA vaccines do not alter DNA, which is partially true. However, some studies have suggested that mRNA vaccines can induce reverse transcription, a process where genetic material is converted from RNA to DNA, although this is still a topic of debate.

• Downplaying of vaccine side effects: Some Team Halo members were criticized for downplaying the severity of vaccine side effects, such as myocarditis and pericarditis, which have been reported in rare cases.

• Claim that COVID-19 vaccines are safe for pregnant women: Team Halo guides claimed that COVID-19 vaccines are safe for pregnant women, which is a topic of ongoing debate. While some studies suggest that vaccines are safe for pregnant women, others have raised concerns about potential risks.

• Assertion that natural immunity is not effective against COVID-19: Some Team Halo members claimed that natural immunity, acquired through infection, is not effective against COVID-19. However, studies have shown that natural immunity can provide significant protection against severe illness and hospitalization.

• Claim that COVID-19 vaccines are necessary for people who have already had COVID-19: Team Halo guides claimed that COVID-19 vaccines are necessary for people who have already had COVID-19, which is not universally accepted. Some studies suggest that natural immunity can provide sufficient protection, although vaccine booster shots may still be recommended in certain cases.

• Failure to disclose conflicts of interest: Some Team Halo members have faced criticism for not disclosing their connections to pharmaceutical companies or other organizations that may have influenced their views on COVID-19 vaccines.

• Oversimplification of complex scientific issues: Team Halo has been criticized for oversimplifying complex scientific issues, such as the mechanisms of COVID-19 vaccines and the risks of vaccine side effects, which can be misleading and confusing for the public.

Strangely, If you click the pink button above it takes you to a completely unrelated Thai website. According to a private source Team Halo did this to all of their websites. Clearly the vaccine confidence project want to leave Team Halo behind by shutting down this site.

D MEDIA

Ian Robinson, Simon Harris’s business partner worked with Simon. Both Simon Harris and Ian Robinson worked under the banner of D Media Ltd which was founded in 2019 and liquidated in March 2023.

Ian claims that he received no money from Essex council either directly or indirectly.

However, this BBC article from 27th January 2024 states:

The contracts (below) show the people’s names who worked for Essex council.

https://www.essex.gov.uk/running-council/spending-and-council-tax/spending-digital-community-engagement-pandemic-2020-0

Essex council did not reveal the limited company names of the companies used and there appears to be redactions in these contracts.

Why would they redact business contracts paid for with taxpayers money that the public have a right to know about?

Some of the contracts were also never signed.

SocialKind Ltd shut down on 26th July 2022.

Somehow SocialKind carried on winning business with councils.

SocialKind contract 2022-24

Sometime in 2023 Ian Robinson left to open a massage business in Pattaya, Thailand. Ian also had another company setup under a shortened version of his name in companies house called Dodgy Drivers limited founded in 2021 that ran until August 2023.

No accounts were filed with HMRC for Dodgy Drivers. The Dodgy drivers website and YouTube channel still exist today though the company is dissolved.

Upon examination of publicly available accounts of D Media Ltd, Simon Harris received £536,775 partially from the COVID operational management fund, through D-Media Ltd which both Ian and Simon had access to. When D Media Ltd was liquidated both Ian and Simon took around £20,000 each in employee claims.

An objection was received when D Media Ltd was struck off which delayed the process of closing the company down. There is no information about why this happened.

The Dark Side of Digital Manipulation

Together with alleged support from the other Project Alchemy partners, CCDH, Valent Projects, SMIU, CTI-League and Team Halo themselves for scientific content, they crafted campaigns that manipulated public opinion, pushing narratives likely designed to serve corporate and political interests.

Through platforms like Hootsuite, the PHARM interface, Hoaxy, Gephi, Mever, and their API access tools such as CrowdTangle for Facebook, the team gamified social media, creating fake accounts and recruiting influencers to amplify specific messages. Their goal was clear: to control narratives, discredit opposition, and promote agendas that benefitted their backers.

SocialKind appears to have paid celebrities with Essex taxpayers money from the council coffers to promote chosen causes, such as Carole Baskin from Tiger King to promote mask-wearing, and Jamie Oliver to push TryLife’s interactive media in America. But behind the scenes, they were waging psychological warfare, using tactics that blurred the line between manipulation and outright harassment.

In a statement that would later echo across multiple social media platforms, Graham, a key member of the crew, became infamous for his abusive online behaviour. His actions led to the group being dubbed the "Mutton Crew", named after this man, a sheep farmer, and his aggressive tactics.

The crew’s core tactics involved emotional manipulation, they would provoke, antagonize, and bait people into making aggressive responses. These responses were then reported as “hate speech” to social media platforms, enabling the Mutton Crew/CCDH/Project Alchemy to suppress dissent while continuing to push their own messages.

As demonstrated by

Gengar

doxing for the Mutton crew and their partners is a common method to suppress information.

The Mutton Crew's Expansion

The Mutton Crew's influence quickly spread beyond social media. Jon Morter may have advised them how to disrupt narratives and create influential online personas. I note that Jon does wants to distance himself from the activities that went on at Essex council. Jon has now moved on to another activist organisation called ‘The Movement Forward’ with Josh Russell and Carol Vorderman who are also known to push similar agendas.

The Mutton crew formed alliances with other NGO’s and organizations like Team Halo as Simon Harris mentions above and Shots Heard Around the World, further amplifying their influence.

By 2019 the operatives, they were running thousands of fake social media accounts and fake NGO’s across platforms like Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, and Reddit. The crew’s tactics were sophisticated, using well-coordinated campaigns of harassment, misinformation, and threats. They didn’t just attack individuals, they aimed to destroy careers, reputations, and lives.

In 2023 Imran Ahmed said : “he considers Anti-Vaxxers an extremist group that pose a national security risk,” and admits tracking and spying on 425 vaccine-related Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter accounts.

The CCDH also admit to de-platforming many social media users in exactly the same way that the Mutton crew do.

Below is a screenshot showing two verified Mutton crew accounts on X claiming that the CCDH was being bullied by Elon Musk. This is completely false. The Mutton crew is known for harassing and abusing victims across the internet.

Below is a screenshot showing one of the alleged anonymous CCDH accounts on Facebook congratulating Simon Harris on his “great work”.

The Case of Dr. DC: A Target for Destruction

One of the crew's most chilling operations centred around Dr. DC, a general practitioner undergoing a GMC MPTS hearing for alleged dishonesty. The Mutton Crew, assisted by Resisting Hate operatives and others, relentlessly targeted Dr DC, feeding him false information and attempting to entrap him. The Mutton Crew allegedly paid JS, a known con-man, £5,000 to infiltrate Dr DC’s life and assist in spreading damaging information.

The harassment against Dr. DC was so intense that it drove him to attempt suicide. Meanwhile, the crew continued to manipulate public sentiment, trying to ruin Dr DC’s career and force him off social media.

The Celebrity Doctor's Role in the Harassment Campaign

Adding another layer of complexity to the situation was the involvement of a celebrity TV doctor, well known for their appearances on children's television. This celebrity doctor had a history of attacking individuals who disagreed with their views.

In the case of Dr. DC, the celebrity doctor became one of the key figures in the harassment campaign. The Mutton Crew, leveraging their influence, managed to manipulate this TV doctor into threatening Dr DC. The TV personality accused Dr. DC of making derogatory comments about them, though there was no evidence to support this claim.

Dr. DC was pressured by the celebrity doctor and their legal team, who threatened to drag him into a lengthy and costly court battle over these exaggerated accusations. Unable to afford the fight and under immense pressure, Dr. DC was coerced into paying £23,000 to settle the matter without any wrongdoing being proven.

The TV doctor's role was pivotal in escalating the abuse Dr DC endured. By weaponizing their celebrity status and aligning with the Mutton Crew’s tactics, the doctor helped fuel the campaign to destroy Dr DC’s reputation.

2024: The Fall of the Mutton Crew

By 2024, the Mutton Crew’s operations began to unravel as the Twitter API was closed off to them and it looked as if Facebook was about to follow suit. The only option they had was to try and persuade people to move to BlueSky as they had unfettered access to the API. This did not work and BlueSky share prices dropped.

On May 14, 2024, British MP Andrew Bridgen became the latest target of their harassment. He accused the crew of orchestrating a sustained campaign of online abuse. At the same time, investigations into Essex County Council revealed fraudulent activities tied to the group, further exposing their manipulative network.

As the pressure mounted, key members of the crew began to retreat. But their attempts to hide were in vain. The truth about their involvement in online manipulation and harassment was coming to light.

2025: Their funding is taken away

USAID funding audited by DOGE causes mass panic.

The Conspiracy Unravels

As more information surfaced and their lack of funding became apparent, it became clear that these individuals had been involved in a global operation designed to manipulate public opinion and suppress dissent. Their organization and many other partner groups were setup specifically for trolling and psychological warfare against individuals in the UK and around the world. This operation was not just a rogue social media campaign, it was a carefully orchestrated, allegedly, criminal enterprise.

Jon Morter has distanced himself from the operation, tweeting: "I didn’t know what was going on under my management in Essex. I unknowingly opened a Pandora's box.

Soon after, Simon issued a statement on his personal Facebook page, claiming he was the victim of a "witch hunt" and denying any involvement in criminal activity.

Below is a screenshot of several of Simon’s YouTube videos, where he stores content related to his projects. Each video has been assigned a specific code, such as EIU (Essex is United).

During his time at Essex Council, Simon Harris created videos featuring Dr. Ranj (pictured above) and several other celebrities. Simon was a regular caller to Jeremy Vine radio show and some of these audio focussed videos are displayed on Simon’s channel. Ian Robinson's dodgy driver videos are also included in the collection.

Dr Ranj speaking with Imran Ahmed (above) from the CCHD specifically about online trolling. Imran suggesting that regulatory bodies should be given greater powers to control social media sites.

Was the Essex situation whitewashed to conceal SocialKind’s involvement with the CCHD and Project Alchemy? The Secret Service User on X seems to think a white wash did happen.

A friend of Simon and Ian recommended that they contact employers, a tactic commonly used by the CCHD to silence those who speak out.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevensalzberg/2021/07/19/de-platform-the-disinformation-dozen/

Ian felt compelled to respond to what he saw as "defamation" in the initial version of this article, which didn’t mention the CCHD. In an attempt to regain control, he appeared on X having reactivated two of his old X accounts that had been inactive for years. After reactivating them, he quickly issued legal threats to anyone sharing the earlier version of this article, aiming to contain the damage.

Ian randomly targeted several users he suspected of being behind this article with malicious communications and intimidating legal messages, and immediately began receiving what he believed to be “evidence” from Mutton crew / CCHD operatives. Naturally, this “evidence” came from anonymous mutton crew, troll, accounts claiming to have insider knowledge.

Ian appeared to try to intimidate Dr. David Cartland by alleging that he had alternative accounts with over 1 million followers. After verifying the claim, I can confirm that Ian does have access to such large accounts. The Mutton crew / CCDH do run some very big accounts on social media.

Fortunately, a significant amount of evidence had already been gathered.

Simon issued a statement on Facebook to his followers. Available on Tattle.

https://tattle.life/threads/simon-harris-7-twagic.47367/page-18

As you can see, the above statement is incorrect.

1. The article has not been taken down.

2. No contact was made to remove this article. My contact details are available through Substack.

3. There is nothing defamatory contained within this article and all information contained within this article is publicly available on companies house or via X.

It is claimed that Simon then emailed individuals who had shared the article, attempting to manipulate them into posting ‘apologies’ on social media for doing so. No organization should be allowed to operate in the manner that the CCHD and the Mutton crew do.

Why is Simon pushing Octopus Energy?

I’ll give you a clue.

It is about wrestling power back to the UK from those who own our power infrastructure.

The people involved are interesting and the connections far reaching. (Project Alchemy / CCDH / Alliance4Europe).

TATTLE

What happened to Tattle?

https://www.pedestrian.tv/entertainment/tattle-life-closing-down/

Threats were made to the family members of the people who run this popular website. The threads on Tattle helped me to create this article and have provided logical links between the mutton crew / CCHD and Simon Harris.

Tattle created the sentiment that Simon Harris was an internet prankster and some users on tattle suspiciously defend Simon despite any evidence presented almost like he has tattle members embedded within tattle to come to his aid.

The BBC’s coverage initially painted Simon as a fraudster but then softened and presented him favourably as if trying to reinvent his persona for the general public.

We have seen that Simon is an operative capable of running significant operations for Team Halo while creating viral campaigns against the SUN newspaper and against Nigel Farage.

He is no foolish internet prankster.

The message that Simon put out to his followers below was because he has been targeting internet users for sometime, reporting them to their respective regulatory bodies and employers.

Here’s Simon reiterating my earlier point: He reached out to the GMC about someone he apparently disagreed with on social media, someone he had never met or spoken to before. He allegedly trolled them online, and now he’s complaining about them to his followers?

Make this make sense!

Simon Harris, the man behind the now-defunct YourBrexit.co.uk and the satirical Southend News Network, appears to have moved on to new ventures, his sites, which once garnered millions of visits and ad revenue, blurred the line between humour and harmful fake news. While Harris defended his work as a reaction to the "liberal elite," his lax oversight and failure to fact-check raised questions about intentional misinformation for political gain, particularly around Brexit. Given his history, it's likely he's now involved in other schemes aimed at shaping public opinion and pushing political agendas.

Funding the CCDH / Mutton Crew / Gnasherjew / ReformUkExposed / Gnasherjew / NAFO

The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, a UK charity with £1.3 billion in assets, has been caught bankrolling left-wing activist groups like the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH)—the same organization that openly aimed to “kill Musk’s Twitter.” Despite branding itself as an independent charity, the foundation received over £300,000 in taxpayer money from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, which was then funneled into CCDH’s war on free speech.

CCDH’s chief, Imran Ahmed, is a former Labour Party strategist and close ally of Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney. Meanwhile, Stop Funding Hate, another censorship-focused group, was handed £100,000 from Paul Hamlyn Foundation, which also receives public funds. Conservative MPs are demanding accountability, calling it “disgraceful” that taxpayer money is being laundered through charities to fund left-wing political vendettas. The UK government is now under pressure to cut off these activist pipelines for good.

Imran Ahmed collaborated with Israeli embassy officials to censor pro-Palestine social media accounts and courted them for donations to his censorship-obsessed Center for Countering Digital Hate.

The mutton crew were concerned when they heard that I was going to write this article because of the implications for them being funded partly by Israel. Their involvement with Gnasherjew and NAFO is also a bone of contention.

https://thegrayzone.com/2025/01/06/emails-israeli-govt-center-countering-digital-hate/

The British army’s 77th brigade also held secret exchanges with the IDF, leaked files reveal. It appears that a collaborative effort with Israel

The Legacy of the Mutton Crew / CCHD / Project Alchemy

The Mutton Crew’s legacy lives on in the “black-ops” of the CCHD and Project Alchemy’s clandestine warmongering.

They pioneered tactics of social media manipulation, harassment, and psychological warfare that blurred the line between truth and fiction. Their Lithuanian elves style attacks towards journalists and influencers around the world leave a trail of evidence. As new investigations continue and now that USAID is being investigated more details will emerge about their allegedly criminal activities, the people involved, and the far-reaching consequences of their digital manipulation.

As of now, social media users are left questioning: who else is involved behind the scenes of these manipulative campaigns, and how far will the long arm of the Mutton Crew reach and how bad will the fallout be for those organizations supporting these narrative twisters?

Keep an eye on Octopus energy.