A 60-year-old drug dealer has been sentenced to seven years in prison after rigging several properties with booby traps inspired by the film Home Alone. Ian Claughton, of Barnsley, South Yorkshire, was found guilty of drugs and firearms offences at Doncaster Crown Court in November.
Claughton and his ex-wife, Lesley Claughton (who received a 21-month suspended sentence), were involved in the cannabis trade, growing and supplying the class B drug from three houses in Grimethorpe. The properties were 'heavily fortified' with devices including modified crow scarers, stun guns, fishing wire, and a homemade flame-thrower.
Prosecutor Helen Chapman told jurors the setup mirrored the film Home Alone, a comparison Claughton himself made to police. Despite a sign outside his workshop warning intruders to 'prepare and get themselves measured up for their own coffin', Claughton denied intent to harm, claiming the flame-thrower was for Bonfire Night displays.
The pair were caught after Border Force intercepted parcels from China containing imitation firearms. Subsequent raids in May 2024 led to the evacuation of 130 nearby properties while a bomb squad dealt with the traps. Officers found £27,000 stitched into a sofa, a crossbow, knives, and large amounts of amphetamines hidden in a breadbin and a Maltesers box.
Det Supt Al Burns of the Yorkshire and Humber regional organised crime unit said Claughton had 'a siege mentality' and went to 'unusual and elaborate lengths' to defend his home, causing significant disruption to the local community. He hopes the sentence provides reassurance to those affected.
