Sidcup man jailed for 15 years for blowing up ULEZ camera with homemade bomb

A retired engineer has been jailed for 15 years for using a homemade bomb to blow up a ULEZ camera in Sidcup, south-east London.

Kevin Rees, 64, of Harcourt Avenue, Sidcup, was sentenced at the Old Bailey on Friday, 2 October. He was also ordered to serve a further year on licence.

The explosion happened in Willersley Avenue at about 6.45pm on 6 December 2023. The camera had been put up earlier that day. The Metropolitan Police said the blast damaged cars and property up to 100 metres away, including a child's bedroom. No one was injured, and police said it was miraculous that nobody was killed or seriously injured.

What the court heard

The Crown Prosecution Service said Rees placed the device next to the camera, lit the fuse and ran off before it went off. Shrapnel was thrown into nearby cars and homes.

Counter Terrorism Policing London led the investigation. Officers found that the device was a metal cylinder filled with explosive powder. Forensic tests on its remains showed it held black powder, the kind used in fireworks.

Jurors heard that detectives traced Rees driving his Smart car from his home in Sidcup to nearby Shuttle Close shortly after 6.20pm that evening. It is understood that the camera had already been cut down by someone else before the explosion.

Counter-terrorism officers arrested Rees on 18 December 2023 and searched his home. They found three homemade stun guns.

Police said Rees had posted about ULEZ cameras many times on social media and had encouraged people to damage them. Officers also found that he had photographed the camera being installed and later deleted the picture. His phone also held screenshots of Facebook posts about the explosion and a photograph of Willersley Avenue taken while the emergency services were there.

Rees denied being involved. On 28 January 2026, a jury at Woolwich Crown Court found him guilty of causing an explosion likely to endanger life or cause serious injury to property, under the Explosive Substances Act 1883. He was also convicted of three counts of possessing a prohibited weapon.

Terrorism connection

Passing sentence, Judge Anthony Bate ruled that the explosion was carried out with a terrorism connection. That ruling brings a longer sentence and stricter controls once an offender is released.

Rees was jailed for 15 years for the explosion, plus the extra year on licence. He was given three years for the stun gun offences, to run at the same time.

The Metropolitan Police said Rees had destroyed the camera because he opposed the ULEZ scheme. Police said 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."

Bethan David, former head of the CPS counter-terrorism division, said: "Whatever his views on the ULEZ scheme, Kevin Rees crossed a serious line by constructing a home-made bomb and detonating it in a public place."

Background

ULEZ, the Ultra Low Emission Zone, charges drivers of vehicles that do not meet emission standards. On 29 August 2023 it was expanded to cover all London boroughs, including Ealing, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Brent and Harrow in West and North West London.

The expansion was strongly opposed in parts of outer London. In the months that followed, many enforcement cameras were vandalised or stolen across the capital.

Anyone with information about damage to ULEZ cameras or other criminal damage can contact the police on 101, or 999 in an emergency. Information can also be given anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Suspicious activity that may be linked to terrorism can be reported to the anti-terrorism hotline on 0800 789 321.