Kevin Rees, 63, has been sentenced to 15 years after detonating an explosive device attached to a ULEZ camera in Sidcup on 6 December 2023. The blast damaged homes and vehicles up to about 100 metres away and sent shrapnel past a child’s bedroom, though miraculously no one was killed or seriously injured. Rees was arrested on 18 December after police found explosive chemicals at his home and was also given a concurrent three‑year term for possession of prohibited stud guns. The judge ruled the offence had a "terrorism connection", leading to a harsher sentence and post‑release controls.
Man Jailed 15 Years After Detonating Explosive Device On ULEZ Camera In Sidcup
Kevin Rees, 63, faces a tougher sentence because the offence had a "terrorism connection" [Met]
A 63-year-old man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after detonating an explosive device attached to a ULEZ camera in Sidcup, south‑east London.
The incident
Kevin Rees set off the device on Wellesley Avenue at about 18:45 GMT on 6 December 2023. The explosion damaged cars and houses up to around 100 metres away and sent fragments that struck the exterior of a child's bedroom. A van parked opposite the camera was also damaged.
Investigation, arrest and conviction
Rees, of Harcourt Avenue, Sidcup, was convicted in January at Woolwich Crown Court of causing an explosion likely to endanger life. He was identified and arrested on 18 December 2023 after searches of his home uncovered chemicals that could be used to manufacture explosives. Officers also discovered stud guns, for which he later admitted three counts of possessing a prohibited weapon and received a concurrent three‑year sentence.
The blast damaged a van parked opposite the Ulez camera [Met Police]
"It was miraculous that nobody was killed or seriously injured in the large explosion caused by Rees," said Detective Chief Superintendent James Derham, who leads local policing in the Bexley area.
Sentence and legal findings
Judge Anthony Bate, who imposed the sentence at the Old Bailey, concluded the offence had a "terrorism connection", a finding that resulted in a tougher sentence and stricter controls to apply after Rees's eventual release.
Defendant's account and online activity
During the trial the retired electrical appliances engineer told jurors he "strongly opposed" the ULEZ scheme and the mayor of London. He denied carrying out the explosion and suggested his arrest was linked to his activity in "anti‑ULEZ" Facebook groups. Police said they had located posts that encouraged damage to the cameras.
Responses
Siwan Hayward, Transport for London's director of security, policing and enforcement, described the attack as "a reckless and highly dangerous act that could have caused serious harm and resulted in the loss of life." She added that tampering with TfL property is unacceptable and that reported incidents are referred to police and would not halt the operation of the ULEZ scheme.
The Metropolitan Police emphasised the danger to the local community and said the sentence reflects the seriousness of an attack that could have killed or badly injured people.
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