A man who used a homemade bomb to destroy an Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) camera in south-east London has been jailed for 15 years.
Kevin Rees, 64, of Harcourt Avenue, Sidcup, was sentenced at the Old Bailey on Friday, 2 October, following an investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing London.
He was convicted at Woolwich Crown Court of causing an explosion likely to endanger life or cause serious injury to property, and three counts of possessing a prohibited weapon.
At sentencing, the judge determined that the explosion offence had a “terrorism connection”. Rees received 15 years’ imprisonment, with a further year on licence. He also received a concurrent three-year prison sentence for possessing three homemade stun guns.
The explosion happened in Willersley Avenue, Sidcup, on 6 December 2023. It damaged vehicles and nearby properties, with a piece of metal travelling more than 100 metres and striking the window frame of a child’s bedroom. Nobody was injured.
Detective Chief Superintendent James Derham, who leads local policing in Bexley, said: “It was miraculous that nobody was killed or seriously injured in the large explosion caused by Rees.”
The court heard that Rees drove from his home to nearby Shuttle Close shortly after 6.20pm before walking to the camera, placing the device and lighting its fuse. A witness saw him walking quickly away.
The camera had been installed earlier that day. Before the explosion, it had been cut down by another person in an unrelated incident. Police said that individual was also identified and convicted.
The blast damaged a van and a nearby car, while shrapnel entered a passing vehicle and struck the bottom of a passenger seat. A wall, front porch, shed and children’s playhouse were also damaged.
Counter terrorism officers arrested Rees on 18 December 2023. Searches of his home uncovered chemicals and other items linked to explosives, along with the three homemade stun guns.
Detectives also examined his social media activity and found posts criticising the ULEZ scheme and encouraging damage to its cameras.
Police recovered evidence from his phone showing photographs of the camera’s installation and the aftermath of the explosion, alongside screenshots of related Facebook posts. Those images were subsequently deleted.
Police said the investigation established that Rees had targeted the camera because of his opposition to the ULEZ scheme.