KEVIN REES JAILED FOR 15 YEARS OVER ULEZ CAMERA BOMB

Kevin Rees, a retired electrical appliances engineer, has been jailed for 15 years after Woolwich Crown Court heard he detonated a homemade explosive device inside a Ulez camera in Willersley Avenue, Sidcup, south London, at about 6.45pm on 6 December 2023, prompting a counter-terrorism investigation. The explosion damaged cars and property up to 100 metres away, with shrapnel striking the outside of a child's bedroom. A jury convicted Rees in January of causing an explosion likely to endanger life, and he was sentenced on Friday. During the trial, Rees said he "didn't actually do anything wrong."

The Ulez scheme requires drivers to pay a daily charge based on vehicle emissions and faced local opposition after its expansion to cover all of London in 2023. Transport for London uses roadside cameras to monitor vehicles entering and leaving the zone, issuing fines to motorists who have not paid. The court heard Rees drove in his Smart car from his home in Sidcup to Shuttle Close after 6.20pm, then walked to the camera and planted the device. The camera had been cut down by another person, who was identified and convicted. Rees told the court he "strongly opposed" the Ulez scheme and the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, saying: "I dislike him, dislike what he has done to London."

Detective Chief Superintendent James Derham, who leads local policing in Bexley, said it was "miraculous" nobody was killed or seriously injured. He said CCTV showed a bus narrowly missed the blast debris "by seconds." Derham said Rees showed a "complete disregard" for public safety because he was unhappy with the Ulez scheme. Rees is now serving his sentence following the Woolwich Crown Court conviction.