Man on roof puts former nuclear plant on lockdown
MORE than 100 staff at a former nuclear power station were put on lockdown after a man was spotted on the roof of a reactor building, a court heard.
Security officers at the Trawsfynydd nuclear power station site saw Nicolas Luke Bates on the roof.
When they challenged him, Bates, 29, told them he thought the site was closed and derelict and he was just taking pictures.
Bates admitted a charge of trespass on a protected site when he appeared before Caernarfon Magistrates Court. He also admitted pos- sessing knives, illegal drugs and motoring offences.
Jailing him for 26 weeks, District Judge Gwyn Jones said he was satisfied an immediate jail sentence was more than justified.
“You claim this was a derelict site, information you said you obtained from Wikipedia.
“Anyone with basic common sense and knowledge of physics would know the dangers posed by a nuclear power station,” he said.
Diane Williams, prosecuting, said, when Bates was searched, officers found a lock knife in his bag along with a quantity of cannabis.
His vehicle was also searched and a hunting style knife was found with smoke grenades and a gas mask.
It emerged Bates, of Faseman Avenue, Coventry, had climbed over a six-foot fence which had “keep out” signs prominently displayed.
He told police he had not seen the signs and did not know the hunting knife was in his vehicle. He added he used the lock-knife to access derelict sites to take photos.
The court heard Bates had previous convictions and had been jailed for six years in 2011 for attempted robbery. He also had a conviction for possessing an imitation firearm.