Bored bedroom bomber is jailed for seven years

Jun 10 2008 by Sam Wood, The Journal

A BORED and lonely farmer’s son who blew off his own fingers with a home-made bomb was jailed for seven years yesterday.

Potentially lethal home-made explosives, detonators, a home-made pistol loaded with ammunition and dozens of dangerous chemicals were discovered at a farm near Otterburn in Northumberland after Owen Dodds set off the explosion.

Dodds, 29, who lived at Ravenscleugh Farm in Elsdon with his parents, lost seven fingers and suffered 20 shrapnel wounds to his chest in the accident on January 2. Police who raided the remote farmhouse feared he was part of a terrorist sleeper cell when they discovered the mini munitions factory.

But Dodds, who had previous convictions for violence and had been banned for life from possessing firearms or ammunition, was “immature, lonely, isolated and bored” and not a terrorist, Newcastle Crown Court heard. He had pleaded guilty to 12 counts of making explosives, one count of making a firearm and one count of possessing ammunition while prohibited, at an earlier hearing.

Firefighters found the explosives and books explaining how to make bombs after being called to the farmhouse, sparking a huge police search that eventually involved more than 170 officers. When police arrived, they searched the house and found in Dodds’ bedroom bomb-making equipment including potassium nitrate fertiliser, hydrogen peroxide, sulphuric acid, shotgun cartridges, metal pipes and rusty nails, and a carton of hexamethylene triperoxide diamine (HMTD) – a high explosive which has been used in several suicide bombings around the world.

Army explosives experts were called in and discovered a cache of weapons, including a fully loaded home-made pistol, pyrotechnic fuses, a “rocket” pipe bomb hidden in a bin close to a barn, a home-made bomb timer, and an ignition switch made from a clothes peg modified with plastic and drawing pins.

A cordon was placed around the farm and the family was evacuated for 16 days as officers combed the area, searching for more explosives.

Stuart Baker, prosecuting, said Dodds’ bedroom and his desktop computer was filled with bomb-making guides and neo-Nazi music, flags and literature.

But Paul Caulfield, defending, said: “He is the last person who would have any connection with any organisation that could pose a threat to people’s safety or to society. He is an immature, childish, lonely, naive, isolated and bored man who lacked social development. He lived largely in the middle of nowhere, not even near to any main roads. He had no friends and an unusual fascination with explosive devices. It is pathetic of him to be making bombs in this way. He manufactured these explosive devices and from time to time would set them off in areas where there was no livestock.

“The lessons of that day will be with him for the rest of his life. You could say he has had his fingers burned.”

Dodds had several previous convictions including burglary, wounding with intent and possessing firearms. He had previously been banned from possessing ammunition for life.

Sentencing him, Judge David Hodson said: “The colossal dangers such experimentation causes to yourself, your parents and to all those who had to investigate what you had done after the discovery of your activities cannot be underestimated.

“You created quite deliberately a number of life-threatening situations for a number of people and you must be punished for what you did.”

For each offence of making or possession an explosive, Dodds was jailed for two years concurrently.

He was jailed for five years for manufacturing the firearm, to run consecutive to the two-year-concurrent sentences, and for one year for possessing ammunition when prohibited, to run concurrent.

Stash of dangerous chemicals

AMONG the items found in Owen Dodd’s bedroom were 21 dangerous chemicals.

One of these was HMTD – Hexamethylenetriperoxidediamine – an extremely volatile substance which is sensitive to heat, shock and friction.

Other chemicals found included TATP, one of the favoured chemicals of suicide bombers, and hydrogen peroxide.

An amount of HMTD was transported by Northumbria Police officers down to Kent where it was analysed, potentially putting the officers at serious risk of harm.

A spokesman for Northumbria Police said: "The scene was attended by a number of experts and the best advice was sought from those experts in relation to the handling and transporting of the materials and items that were discovered. This advice was followed.

"It was only after it was tested in the lab that it was identified as being potentially volatile.

"At the conclusion of every operation such as this, there is a debrief were lessons and improvements are identified.

"Such a debrief has taken place in this case."