Kevin Rees, a 63-year-old retired domestic services engineer, was sentenced to 15 years in prison after being convicted of causing an explosion likely to endanger life. The court heard that Rees detonated a homemade bomb that destroyed a roadside camera used to enforce London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez), a controversial traffic charge scheme targeting vehicles with high emissions.

The incident occurred just after 6:20 p.m. on December 6, 2023, in a residential area on Willersley Avenue, close to Rees’s home in Sidcup, southeast London. Surveillance footage captured the moment Rees planted the explosive device on the camera and fled the scene moments before it detonated. The blast sent shrapnel flying more than 100 meters, damaging nearby cars and even breaking a window of a child’s bedroom. The explosion was powerful enough to set off a van alarm and cause vehicles to shake. Police described it as "miraculous that nobody was killed or seriously injured."

Forensic analysis revealed the device contained black powder, a mixture of sulphur, potassium nitrate, and charcoal, commonly used in chemical explosives. Rees was arrested two weeks after the blast by counter-terrorism officers. A search of his residence uncovered components like aluminium powder and iron oxide, which can be used for making explosives, along with three homemade stun guns. He was subsequently convicted on three counts of possessing prohibited weapons.

During the trial at Woolwich Crown Court, Rees acknowledged his strong opposition to the Ulez scheme and London’s mayor, Sir Sadiq Khan, telling jurors he disliked both “and what he has done to London.” The Ulez policy imposes a daily charge of £12.50 on drivers whose vehicles do not meet emission standards, a measure that has sparked significant backlash in parts of the city.

Rees had also formed and participated in online groups that celebrated the destruction of Ulez cameras, adopting the pseudonym “The Exterminator” on Facebook Messenger. Prosecutors presented evidence of his social media activity encouraging attacks on the cameras. A photograph found on his phone showed the Willersley Avenue camera shortly before the explosion, though Rees had deleted the image the day after the blast.

Despite the mounting evidence, Rees denied responsibility for the explosion, claiming his arrest was solely linked to his involvement in anti-Ulez online groups. He described his participation in these forums as seeking community rather than inciting violence.

Detective Superintendent James Derham, leading the investigation, emphasized the potential lethality of the attack, calling it "miraculous" no serious injuries occurred. Bethan David, head of the Crown Prosecution Service’s counter-terrorism division, stressed the severity of the act, rejecting any characterization of it as mere protest or vandalism. She said the use of a homemade bomb in a residential neighborhood represented a deliberate and dangerous threat to public safety.