Retired Electrician Found Guilty of ULEZ Camera Bombing in South-East London
A quiet 63-year-old retired electrician from suburban Sidcup has been convicted at Woolwich Crown Court for blowing up an Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) camera with a homemade explosive device. Kevin Rees, who neighbours described as a shy character living on a tree-lined street in Bexley, south-east London, was found guilty of causing an explosion likely to endanger life and three counts of possessing prohibited weapons.
From Online Rants to Real-World Violence
Behind the lace curtains of his seemingly ordinary home, Rees operated under the username "Exterminator" in online forums, where he expressed vehement opposition to London Mayor Sadiq Khan and the expansion of the ULEZ scheme to outer boroughs including Bexley in 2023. What began as keyboard skirmishes escalated dramatically when Rees began constructing homemade weapons and explosive materials in his loft.
At 6.45pm on 6 December 2023, Rees lit the fuse on a homemade bomb that destroyed a ULEZ camera on Willersley Avenue, just four minutes' drive from his home. The explosion sent shrapnel flying 100 metres, causing significant damage including:
- A dented van and blown-out car tyre
- A splintered window frame in a child's bedroom
- Damage to a nearby wendy house
"Any of us could have been hurt," said neighbour Sam, who declined to give her full name. "It just shows that you don't know what's going on in individual homes when someone in a quiet household was making a bomb inside."
Radicalisation Through Online Communities
The case has highlighted concerns about how online communities can radicalise individuals, even suburban pensioners. Rees told the court he joined anti-Ulez groups because he was "bored" and looking for "a community". An investigation by Greenpeace's Unearthed team and the Observer in 2024 revealed a network of 36 private anti-Ulez Facebook groups with 38,000 members, where members celebrated vandalism against Ulez cameras and shared racist, Islamophobic content.
Bethan David, head of counter-terrorism at the Crown Prosecution Service, stated: "It was pure chance that no one suffered serious injury or worse. We hope this conviction sends a clear message to other protesters considering taking the law into their own hands."
Online Celebration and Political Criticism
Despite the grave nature of the attack, Rees has been celebrated online as a hero in some circles. When the CPS posted about the conviction on social media platform X, replies praised Rees for "public service" and "doing the lords [sic] work". One Facebook comment suggesting he should receive a medal received over 1,300 likes.
Stefano Borella, leader of the Labour group on Bexley council, whose 76-year-old mother heard the explosion, expressed disappointment at this response: "Social media is the cesspit of humanity, but the silent majority would be very shocked by this, whatever their views of Ulez."
Borella also criticised Conservative-led Bexley council for failing to condemn the attack at the time, suggesting different standards would apply if this had been an Islamist attack.
Wider Concerns About Extremism
Georgie Laming, director of campaigns at anti-racist group Hope Not Hate, warned: "The anti-Ulez movement has for some time now been co-opted by the far right. Local residents join groups to protest traffic measures and are suddenly confronted with conspiracy theories, disinformation, and Islamophobia."
John Oxley, associate fellow at centre-right thinktank Bright Blue, noted that the case "deserves more attention", particularly regarding vulnerable older people spending time in "toxic online spaces". He questioned why coverage of the bombing had been "remarkably light" considering it occurred in a London suburb.
Rees, who denied the charges and blamed his arrest on "Facebook police", is due to be sentenced later this year. The case serves as a stark warning about how online radicalisation can transform quiet suburban lives into dangerous extremism with potentially deadly consequences for local communities.
