Man, 55, admits making a bomb

A MAN made a bomb and told his daughter he wanted to use it to steal from a bank.

Martin Johnson appeared at Cardiff Crown Court on Friday and admitted making an improvised explosive device (IED). The 55-year-old, of Greenmeadow in Cwmbran, showed the bomb to his granddaughter and it could have caused a death if it had detonated, the court heard.

Prosecutor Matthew Roberts said Johnson’s daughter Abigail first became concerned around Bonfire Night 2019, when the defendant showed her two bags of fireworks and mentioned “something about a paedophile and that he possibly wanted to put this person in his car, putting them in the exhaust”.

He said: “The first time she saw the device was when the defendant brought it to her flat at the beginning of 2020. It was the height of a small bottle and had a wick from a candle coming out of it, and was held together with grey tape.

“The defendant told his daughter he put the stuff from inside fireworks into the device and also showed it to Ms Johnson’s daughter, his granddaughter.”

Around Christmas 2020, Johnson told his daughter he was going to “use this device in a bank at the top of Blaenavon” because he needed money. Ms Johnson became increasingly concerned about her father’s state of mind and informed police he had made an explosive.

Police attended Johnson’s home and found the IED wrapped in white tape inside a black case. An expert found a firework powder explosion in the middle of the device could cause the cylindrical metal container to fragment and potentially cause death.

The defendant told police he made the device to use down a rats’ hole which was under a chicken coop.

Imposing an indefinite hospital order, Judge David Wynn Morgan told Johnson: “For whatever reason, you did a very dangerous thing. The reasons you put forward for constructing this device don’t make a great deal of sense.

“The doctors are in agreement. You’re suffering from a psychiatric disorder, paranoid schizophrenia and bouts of depression. Until fairly recently you have sustained an alcohol and controlled drug dependency. The most suitable way of disposing of the case is a hospital order.”