A retired engineer who carried out a deliberate attack on a London Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) camera using a homemade bomb has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.
The 64-year-old defendant, identified in court reports as an anti-ULEZ activist, admitted constructing an improvised explosive device and detonating it at a street camera in southeast London. The blast caused significant damage to the camera and surrounding street furniture but, according to court findings, did not result in any fatalities.
Prosecutors told the court the incident was premeditated and driven by the defendant’s opposition to the ULEZ scheme. Evidence presented included materials and components used to assemble the device and witness testimony about the defendant’s activities in the days before the explosion.
Sentencing remarks highlighted the serious public safety risk posed by the attack. The judge noted the calculated nature of the offence, the potential for widespread harm, and the need to deter similar acts. The 15-year term reflects the gravity of using an explosive device in a public place.
Police and investigators from the explosives unit conducted a thorough forensic examination of the scene. Their work contributed to linking the retired engineer to the device and the detonation. No group claimed responsibility for the attack.
The case has drawn attention to tensions surrounding the ULEZ policy, which aims to reduce air pollution by charging higher-emission vehicles to enter certain parts of London. Authorities reiterated that while legal protest is legitimate, violent or dangerous actions will be met with severe criminal sanctions.
Further details released at the hearing confirmed the defendant’s age and background as a retired engineer but did not disclose his name under reporting restrictions in place at the time of sentencing. The judge ordered the full term to reflect both punishment and public protection.
Metropolitan Police officials praised the investigative work that led to the conviction and said anti-terrorism and explosives specialists would continue to support local detectives on probe matters involving improvised devices.
Source: news.sky.com
