Retired electrical appliances engineer Kevin Rees, 64, sparked a major police investigation when he detonated explosives in the Ulez camera in Willersley Avenue, Sidcup, south London, at about 6.45pm on December 6, 2023.
asserted
he → spark → December
The improvised explosive device damaged cars and property up to 100 metres away, with shrapnel striking the outside of a child’s bedroom.
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shrapnel → improvise → bedroom
Counter-terrorism police were drafted in to investigate the blast, and they identified Rees – a prolific poster of anti-Ulez social media content – as the prime suspect.
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they → draft → suspect
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He was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Friday.
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He → read → Friday
Detective Chief Superintendent James Derham, who leads local policing in the Bexley area, said: “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.
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he → lead → scheme
“CCTV from a bus travelling down the road at the time shows how it narrowly missed the blast of debris by seconds.”
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it → travel → seconds
The Ulez scheme, which requires drivers to pay a daily charge based on how polluting the emissions from their vehicle are, faced local opposition after it was expanded to cover all of London in 2023.
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it → require → 2023
Cameras are used by Transport for London (TfL) to monitor the cars that enter and exit the zone, triggering fines for motorists who have not paid the daily charge.
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who → use → charge
During the trial, Rees told the court he “strongly opposed” the Ulez scheme – and London Mayor Lord Sadiq Khan.
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he → tell → scheme
“I dislike him, dislike what he has done to London,” the defendant said.
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defendant → dislike → London
A jury heard the investigation team identified that Rees had travelled in his Smart car from his home in Sidcup to Shuttle Close shortly after 6.20pm on December 6, 2023.
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Rees → hear → December
The Ulez camera was installed earlier that day, but in an unrelated incident had been cut down by another individual, who was also identified and convicted.
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who → instal → individual
Rees walked the short distance from his car to the camera and then planted the device and lit a fuse, police said.
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police → walk → fuse
He was then seen by a witness walking quickly away from the scene.
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He → see → scene
Rees was identified and was arrested on December 18, 2023 and his home was searched.
Detectives also analysed Rees’s social media activity and found he had posted numerous times about Ulez cameras and encouraged the damaging of them, the Met said.
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Met → identify → them
Three homemade stun guns were found at his address.
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guns → find → address
On Friday, Rees was given a three-year sentence, to run concurrently, after he admitted three counts of having a prohibited weapon.
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he → give → weapon
During the trial, the defendant denied all involvement in the incident, telling jurors he believed his arrest was linked to his participation in “anti-Ulez” groups on Facebook.
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arrest → deny → Facebook
When he was arrested by counter-terror police on December 18, Rees made reference to that explosion and asked officers if his arrest had “something to do with the anti-Ulez sites”.
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arrest → arrest → sites
“There was only one explosion that was on the news and that was the one in Sidcup,” he told the trial, before adding: “I assumed it was just the so-called Facebook police.
“
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it → be → trial
People you hear being arrested for making bad or inappropriate comments on Facebook pages – that’s well-known, as it’s been on the news.
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it → hear → news
“The thing is, I didn’t actually do anything wrong.”
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I → do → anything
Rees told jurors he joined “anti-Ulez” Facebook groups and pages out of “boredom” and because it provided him with a sense of community.
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it → tell → community
Bethan David, former head of the Crown Prosecution Service’s counter-terrorism division, said: “This was not an act of protest or momentary vandalism.
“This was a deliberate and dangerous attack involving a homemade explosive device, carried out in a residential street and designed to destroy public infrastructure.
“Kevin Rees knowingly and intentionally placed an explosive device next to the Ulez camera, lit the fuse and retreated before the explosion, showing clear planning and an obvious disregard for the safety of others.
“
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Rees → say → others
Whatever his views on the Ulez scheme, Kevin Rees crossed a serious line by constructing a homemade bomb and detonating it in a public place.
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Rees → cross → place
“It was pure chance that no-one suffered serious injury, or worse.
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one → suffer → injury
“The Crown Prosecution Service will always seek to prosecute dangerous offending of this nature and hopefully this conviction sends a clear message to other protesters considering taking the law into their own hands.”
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conviction → seek → hands
Rees, of Harcourt Avenue, Sidcup, was sentenced at the Old Bailey on Friday by Judge Anthony Bate.
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Rees → sentence → Bate
Siwan Hayward, TfL’s director of security, policing and enforcement, said: “This was a reckless and highly dangerous act that could have caused serious harm and resulted in the loss of life.
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that → say → life
We welcome this sentencing and hope it acts as a warning to others.
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it → welcome → others
“Tampering with or damaging TfL’s property is unacceptable and seriously risks the safety of the public.
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Tampering → tamper → public
Those attempting to interfere with Ulez infrastructure show a complete disregard for the law.
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Those → attempt → law
“All vandalised cameras are repaired or replaced as soon as possible.
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cameras → vandalise → ?
Any such incident on our network is reported to the police and will not stop the Ulez operating.”
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incident → report → police
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