Ex-soldier caught with live grenades
Apr 9 2009 by Hilary Clixby, The Journal
A FORMER soldier with a distinguished military record was caught transporting a stash of lethal hand grenades, a court heard.
Nicholas Jones was arrested last September when armed police swooped on his Vauxhall Astra near the A189 spine road near Annitsford in North Tyneside.
Recovered from the car were seven military-issue high-explosive fragmental hand grenades – capable of killing or maiming at 10 metres – still in their packaging and apparently brand new.
Jones, who told officers he was on his way “to give them to some kid” also volunteered there were a further three similar hand grenades in a garage at Amble in Northumberland.
The 26-year-old ex-Royal Fusilier who left the Army in 2006 after active service in the Gulf, Northern Ireland and Iraq admitted two counts of possessing an explosive substance.
He pleaded guilty at Newcastle Crown Court on an agreed basis he had been acting on behalf of someone else in moving the grenades from one place to another after receiving threats and had made no financial gain.
He also said he had done all he could to ensure the grenades did not accidentally detonate by taping them, that he did not know who the recipient was to be and he did not intend to use them himself.
