A man has been found guilty of causing a dangerous explosion after detonating a home-made bomb to destroy a Ulez camera on a residential street in east London. Kevin Rees, a 63-year-old retired domestic service engineer, now faces a significant prison sentence following the incident in Willersley Avenue, Sidcup, on December 6, 2023.
Dramatic CCTV Footage Captures Blast Aftermath
Striking CCTV footage captured the full impact of the eruption, which caused sparks to rain down, vehicles to shake violently, and resulted in the destruction of a child's bedroom located 28 metres away from the blast site. The explosion occurred at 6.45pm, with traffic seen drawing to an immediate halt as lights flashed on parked cars and alarms blared due to the sudden detonation.
Prosecutor Simon Denison KC told Woolwich Crown Court that by "pure chance" no one was injured in the explosion, though the force was such that "people in houses nearby felt their houses shake." The court heard how shrapnel ripped through a passing car's passenger door, mercifully just below where the passenger was sitting, while part of the camera was propelled across the road, ripping open the side of a parked van.
Widespread Property Damage Documented
New photographs reveal the extensive aftermath of the detonation, showing:
- Large cracks visible across multiple car windscreens
- Broken window frames on residential properties
- Fallen lampposts in the immediate vicinity
- Damage to brick walls with debris scattered across the ground
- A deflated tyre on a red car affected by the blast impact
- Structural damage to a small outhouse near the explosion site
One piece of the camera was propelled over 100 metres into the upper part of a house, demonstrating the considerable force generated by what was described in court as a "low-sophistication" device.
Prosecution Case Details the Planned Attack
The prosecution presented evidence that Rees deliberately caused the explosion by placing a metal cylinder filled with explosive powder next to the Ulez camera and lighting a fuse that gave him approximately one minute and forty seconds to move away before detonation. CCTV footage allegedly showed the same man - identified as Rees - in and around Willersley Avenue throughout the evening of the incident.
According to the prosecution:
- The camera had been installed earlier that day and was cut down at 5.10pm by another person using a chainsaw
- Rees arrived later, located the fallen camera, lit the fuse and placed the explosive device
- He was seen running away before the explosion occurred
- Approximately ten minutes later, he returned to his vehicle without the cylindrical object
Social Media Evidence and Additional Charges
The court heard that Rees was described as a "committed campaigner against the ULEZ scheme" whose social media included "many posts in which he criticised the scheme and celebrated damage to or the destruction of ULEZ cameras." Examination of his online activity revealed he had set up a Facebook group called "ULEZ CAMARAS" where he posted images of damaged cameras with celebratory comments.
In one message, Rees allegedly referred to himself as "The Exterminator," while in others he directed fellow users to websites where they could find information about cameras that needed "pruning."
When arrested on December 18 while dropping his wife at Sidcup station, Rees reportedly asked officers: "Has this got something to do with the ULEZ Facebook sites I was using?"
Further Discoveries During Police Investigation
A police search of Rees' address led to the recovery of three home-made stun guns in working order, which prosecutors said could "be used as a weapon to inflict pain and cause loss of muscle control." This resulted in three additional charges of possessing prohibited weapons, which Rees also denied but was convicted of.
Investigators also found:
- A price list for chemicals from Paramount Elements Ltd dated June 2021, with marks alongside some entries
- At his parents' address, a sealed postal package addressed to Rees containing 100g of aluminium powder
- A plastic bag containing 331g of iron oxide
Prosecutors noted that the chemicals listed "could be used in the manufacture of low explosives such as could be used in fireworks."
Police Response and Community Impact
Detective Superintendent James Derham, who leads local policing in the Bexley area, stated: "It was miraculous that nobody was killed or seriously injured in the large explosion caused by Rees. He 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."
Derham added that the conviction had been possible due to "the commitment and professionalism of our CTP London Detectives, supported by our frontline policing colleagues in Bexley," and thanked the local community for their support during the investigation.
Rees, of Harcourt Avenue, Sidcup, was convicted of causing an explosion likely to endanger life or cause serious injury to property, along with three counts of possessing a prohibited weapon. He will be sentenced on a date to be fixed, with the court emphasising the "very serious consequences for those responsible when taken to this extreme."
