A man who stored material capable of making explosives at his Wimborne home has been jailed for four years.
Kevin Yates, 60, was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court on Monday 7 October 2019 after being found guilty following a trial at the same court of having an explosive substance, contrary to section 4(1) of the Explosive Substances Act 1883 and possessing a regulated substance without a licence under the Poisons Act 1972.
At around 1.20am on Tuesday 12 February 2019 Yates called the NHS 111 service to ask for help with regards to his mental health and a paramedic called Yates back less than an hour later.
Yates told him that he was not happy with his thought processes and was dabbling in chemicals and armaments. The paramedics then contacted Dorset Police.
Officers attended Yates home in Hayes Close and he informed them of the items he had at the address, including basic household chemical items, a detonator fuse, air rifles, shotgun cartridges, a crossbow, arrows and a number of knives, as well as manuals such as the Anarchists Cookbook.
A cordon was set up on Hayes Lane and nearby properties were evacuated as a safety precaution.
The Army’s bomb disposal team attended and carried out a thorough search of the house. They found items that could be used for making bombs including documents and sulphuric acid, which is covered under the Poisons Act.
A list of the materials located were sent to a laboratory for testing and they stated that the chemicals found at Yates’ address, coupled with the fuse, could make a black powder creating low explosive substance that is sensitive to a spark, friction or impact and if sealed could be ignited and explode.
Detective Inspector Wayne Seymour, of Bournemouth CID, said: “Kevin Yates stored a large number of items at his home that were not illegal to possess but if mixed together could have put himself and other members of public at risk of serious harm or death.
“I would like to again thank all those residents who were affected while emergency services responded to this incident, particularly those who were temporarily evacuated so we could carry out a search of the address.”
