On 11th September 2009 Lincolnshire Police instigated an investigation concerning a Michael Taylor (date of birth 03/12/89) of St Peters Avenue Lincoln, after he was arrested on suspicion of Possessing explosive substances, he has since pleaded guilty to the offence.
Following his arrest a search of his home address revealed a home made pipe bomb device in a kitchen cupboard, the Bomb disposal unit attended the address and the local residents were evacuated until the device was deemed safe. A subsequent examination of this device found that the mixture contained inside the pipe was not in itself explosive, however other substances found at the address and admissions made by TAYLOR clearly demonstrated that he had been making small homemade explosions.
Today (11 March 2010) at Lincoln Crown Court Judge Heath sentenced Michael Taylor to a Community Order with a Supervision Order both of which will run for three years. (He had also been in custody on remand for six months which is effectively the equivalent of a 12 month prison sentence).
Quote from Detective Inspector Suzanne Davies of Lincoln CID:
"We found no evidence linking Michael Taylor to any terrorist organisation nor do we have any information to suggest that he has any extremist beliefs or thoughts. None-the-less he has demonstrated an unhealthy interest in explosive substances, explosive devices and explosions. His actions and behaviour could have had dire consequences for him and potentially for his neighbours or other members of the public had the devices and ingredients in his possession ignited or exploded.
I would like to applaud the member of the public and the library staff at the Boultham library for their vigilance and common sense in reporting to us their suspicions and what they saw. They may well have saved the life of Mr Taylor and averted a tragedy that might have injured or killed other people had he been left to carry on with his research and experiments unimpeded. I would urge anyone with similar concerns to contact the police immediately, alternatively they can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 anonymously."
