The blast sent shrapnel flying more than 100 metres, causing damage to a nearby van, the window frame of a child’s bedroom and the passenger side of a passing car.
A man who used a homemade bomb to damage a newly installed ULEZ camera in southeast London was motivated by terrorism, a judge has ruled.
Kevin Rees, 64, was sentenced to 15 years in prison after being found guilty of explosives and firearms offences.
Retired engineer Rees used black powder, commonly found in commercial fireworks, to build his own explosive device to target the ultra-low emissions zone camera in Sidcup in December 2023.
The blast sent shrapnel flying more than 100 metres, causing damage to a nearby van, the window frame of a child’s bedroom and the passenger side of a passing car, hitting “mercifully just below” where a woman was sitting in the vehicle, prosecutors said.
Nobody was injured in the attack on the camera, but prosecutor Simon Denison KC told the Old Bailey on Friday: “The force of the explosion was such that it could have caused multiple deaths.”
Read more: Serial burglar jailed after headbutting pensioner, 86, who died in attempt to protect wife
Kevin Rees, 64, was sentenced to 15 years in prison after being found guilty of explosives and firearms offences.
Picture:
PA
He argued that Rees’ actions fit the definition of terrorism, in being designed to further a political cause.
Rees was a committed campaigner against the ULEZ scheme, which charges vehicles which do not meet emission standards to drive in Greater London.
His social media shows several posts that criticised the expansion of the scheme by the London Mayor and celebrated the damage of ULEZ cameras.
In January, a jury found Rees guilty of four offences following a trial at Woolwich Crown Court, including causing an explosion likely to endanger life and the possession of prohibited weapons.
Three home-made stun guns had been found during a search of his address after Rees was arrested by counter terrorism police in 2023.
Photo issued by the Metropolitan Police of the seat of the explosion.
Picture:
Met Police
Speaking of the explosion in sentencing, Judge Anthony Bate said: “The target of the action was a ULEZ camera and Rees’ social media posts showed him as a member of groups who campaigned against and supported their destruction. Those who succeeded were lauded by others.
“Having considered the definition of terrorism… as advancing a political cause… I do find that the criteria is met in this case to define that this event has a terrorist connection.”
A jury at Woolwich Crown Court heard how the investigation team identified that Rees had travelled in his Smart car from his home in Sidcup to Shuttle Close shortly after 6.20pm on 6 December 2023.
The ULEZ camera was installed earlier that day, but in an unrelated incident, had been cut down with a chainsaw by another individual, who was also identified and convicted by the same investigation team.
Damage caused to nearby vehicle.
Picture:
Met Police
Rees’ defence counsel had argued in sentencing that because that person had not been charged with a terrorism offence, his client’s actions should not have been judged to have had a terrorist connection.
“This act, while undoubtedly dangerous, was a disastrous miscalculation of the effects the explosion was likely to have,” Simon Ray KC told the court.
“The scale of the damage was not intended. It was intended to put that camera out of action.”
After Rees was convicted in January, Detective Superintendent James Derham from the Metropolitan Police said: “It was miraculous that nobody was killed or seriously injured.
“Rees showed a complete disregard for the welfare and safety of the people who live in, or were travelling through, the area at the time of the explosion – all because he was unhappy with the ULEZ scheme.
“Damage of any kind is completely unacceptable, and this particular incident demonstrates the very serious consequences for those responsible when taken to this extreme.”
The judge imposed a special custodial sentence for certain offenders of particular concern of 16 years, which consists of a minimum term of 15 years behind bars, before he is considered by the Parole Board for release.