Yahoo News East London 'hoarder' caught with flask bomb and gunpowder chemicals says he 'just found it in park'
A 'hoarder' caught with a flask bomb, chemicals to make gunpowder, and improvised shrapnel has avoided prosecution for making the device after he said he found it in a park and thought it was a Russian doll. Ricky Anderson was jailed for five years at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Wednesday (May 8) after admitting four charges, including possession of a firearm and having explosive material.
Police discovered the improvised explosive device (IED), made of a vacuum flask and the powder from firework sparklers, plus a single round of live ammo among hundreds of blanks, during a search of the 45-year-old's home in Beechwood Drive, Woodford Green, in September 2022. A sniffer dog also located a converted handgun in a bush where he was arrested after a spat with his neighbour.
Anderson - described as a 'Womble' by his barrister - also had bomb-making materials, including hydrogen peroxide, green sulphur, nitrate, graphite, and charcoal; plus the items needed to make a working fuse for the IED. The bomb was never tested by Home Office officials, but an expert concluded it was viable and could have caused 'shock, alarm, and injury' if it ever exploded.
On Wednesday, Judge Oscar Del Fabbro said 'one shudders to think the harm it could have caused' if Anderson's collection of ball bearings, nails, screws, and marbles, were to have been combined with the device. "The potential was to create an explosive device that could cause serious harm," the judge said.
'Explosive device could have done substantial damage'
Police were called to Beechwood Drive, Woodford Green, just before 4pm on September 27, 2022, when a woman claimed she had been assaulted. Anderson allegedly told her to open her door, pushed her into an alleyway, then threatened to put her in a box, prosecutor Ertan Feryal told the court. The woman called 999 after she saw Anderson reach for his right side, making her believe he was armed.
When officers arrived, the pair were still arguing, and Anderson became agitated when they spoke to him. As an officer moved towards his handcuffs, Anderson fled on foot but was detained after a short chase. Two rounds of ammo were found in his pocket at the scene, and another two were found in custody.
During a search of his address, police found another 80 rounds of blank ammo and an armoury that included a crossbow, arrows, slingshot, and harnesses with gun holsters. A firearm recovery dog also located a handgun in a bush near where Anderson had been captured by police.
Police also discovered chemicals used for making bombs and a ready-made IED wrapped in a white plastic bag. The 30cm long drinking flask wrapped in tape containing grey powder was made into a mock-up of which was displayed to the court. Anderson looked bemused and tried to catch a glimpse as the device was held up by the court clerk.
Ms Feryal said a Home Office explosives expert concluded 'the explosive device could have done substantial damage', and that it would have been viable if combined with a fuse available from fireworks also found in the property.
Under questioning about the alleged assault, Anderson initially gave no comment. After fingerprints were found on the bomb and white plastic bag, he was questioned again and he claimed he found the device in a nearby park, along with fireworks and sparklers.
Anderson was originally charged with making an explosive material, but his park story was eventually accepted as a basis of plea by the Crown Prosecution Service.
The court heard there is no evidence of any links to terrorist organisations or having made internet searches on bomb making. But, Detective Constable Keane did share concerns about images of weaponry, dead people, and post-mortem examinations from war-zones that were discovered on Anderson's phone.
'The best way to described him is a Womble'
Barrister Steven Pidcock argued the weaponry found at Anderson's home had to be taken in the context of his obsession with collecting items like Nitrous Oxide canisters, cannabis grinders, and old vapes.
He also dismissed the suggestion Anderson had any malicious intentions with his weapons, describing them as 'ornamental', and claimed Anderson had never lashed out, despite alleged 'batterings' from local gang members.
"I do not want to embarrass him, but he's clearly somewhat of a fantasist. He slept with a blank-firing revolver under his pillow," Mr Pidcock said. "The best way to describe him is a Womble. He collects things. He goes magnet fishing and nothing of it is thrown away. His house is a junk shop."
Mr Pidcock also argued only a single round of ammunition had broken the legislation, which he pointed out had 'no propellant'. He also argued owning a crossbow and slingshot was 'not unusual', and suggested nails, screws, and marbles could all be found in most households.
He said Anderson had used hydrogen peroxide as a mouthwash, though he conceded he could not explain the sulphur, and insisted there was 'nothing sinister' about Anderson owning a vice or drill because he had completed a locksmith course.
Mr Pidcock further suggested the damage of the explosive device would have been limited due to the flask's plastic lid, therefore reducing its compression and ability to produce a concussion wave. He also pointed out no shrapnel material had been in the bomb when it was found.
"It's not something he cooked up or made, what was found in his flat. His explanation is it was all found together and he thought it was a Russian doll," Mr Pidcock said.
"The dangerous thing is all these things could be conflated to say he's a dangerous man. I'm not a household chemist, but there's a lot of things that can be made with household chemicals. There's no evidence he meant anyone any harm, even with the most extreme provocation."
Mr Pidcock then questioned the power of the converted firearm after tests showed it produced propulsion similar to an air pistol. He also pointed out it was muzzle loaded, which meant it would be slowly reloaded like a musket, and claimed there was every chance it would blow up in Anderson's face. "In my submission, it is absolutely useless," Mr Pidcock said.
'You would have been fully aware'
Judge Del Fabbro applied the minimum sentence insisted by parliament for possessing a firearm and reminded the court of the need to deter those who consider bomb making as a hobby, as he jailed Anderson for five years.
"Now all this may be a complete coincidence, in the sense you were a hoarder, a collector of all sorts of things. We have seen some of them, the crossbow, the various items of material, screws. But it has to be said you would have been fully aware, given your particular interest in firearms and explosives and the like, having something like that would get you into serious trouble," the judge told Anderson.
"It has been argued on your behalf this is something you picked up and hid away for some sort of fireworks and entertainment, but it's not how I see it or the expert sees it... Yes, those items could have been used for other purposes. You had chemicals, of course, they could have had innocent uses, but taken together the potential was to create an explosive device that could cause serious harm to others."
While Judge Del Fabbro conceded he had been persuaded the chemicals and device were intended to cause harm, he added: "I have to have regard for deterrence to others who have an interest in this hobby. It's not a hobby. Especially in this day and age. We shudder to think if someone of evil intention had broken into your flat and taken the items to use."
Anderson was jailed for five years for possessing a firearm, with concurrent sentences of four years for possession of an explosive substance, three years for converting a firearm from imitation to real, and two months for having ammunition without a certificate.
'Dangerous individual'
Inspector Matt Freeman, of the Met’s Trident and Area Command, said: “Anderson is a dangerous individual. While we can’t know what his motivations were, we do know that he had equipped himself to do harm using a number of potentially lethal methods.
“It was sheer luck that the chemicals he was using didn’t cause an explosion that could have damaged the surrounding homes and occupants. Information from the public is key to helping us do our job effectively and I would urge anyone to contact police if they suspect someone is involved in criminality.”
Got a story or a court case we should cover? Please email callum.cuddeford@reachplc.com or WhatsApp 07580255582
Don't miss out on the latest crime stories from across London. Sign up to MyLondon's Court & Crime newsletter HERE
