“Eccentric” who sparked Chesterfield street evacuation due to homemade explosives jailed for 7 years
An “eccentric” who sparked the evacuation of 35 homes on a Chesterfield street admitted “throwing” highly sensitive explosives around after IEDs and fuses were found at his flat, a court heard.
Robert Spinks, 52, was caught with hexamethylene triperoxide diamine (HMTD) explosives, a “large quantity” of gun powder, low explosive flash powder, “black powder improvised fuses” and a copy of the “Anarchist Cookbook” during a search of his flat on July 19, 2024.
Derby Crown Court heard Spinks had kept the explosives in “Tupperware boxes in a wardrobe” in his Kingsley Avenue flat “immediately above” another flat and “adjoined” other flats.
After his arrest Spinks, who admitted being “interested in rockets and educating himself about explosives”, told police that on one occasion 500 grams of black powder “went off” in his flat, “pouring out billows of black smoke”, also recalling “throwing” high explosive HMTD “around”.
Judge James Carter, jailing Spinks for seven years, told him he had been “reckless”, however he noted the defendant’s motivation had been “experimental” in an “eccentric way”.
The search of Spinks’ flat on July last year unfolded after some hours previously he had thrown “acids” comprised of weed killer and gold purifier containing hydrochloric and possibly sulphuric acid at another man with whom he regularly took drugs, including crack cocaine, during an argument about drugs on Derby Road at around midnight.
Prosecutor Sebastian Walker said Spinks caused chemical burns to four per cent of his victim’s body, including his face, neck and chest and shouted “have that” before hurling the liquid. The court heard Spinks threw the acids in “frustration” – saying his victim was “taking advantage” of him by requesting money for drugs.
Spinks’ victim later made an almost full recovery from his injuries, the court heard. Mr Walker described how, following the acid incident, police searched Spinks’ home on Kingsley Avenue and “such was the scale” of what they found that an explosives team was called and 35 homes were evacuated.
Over two days police found hexamethylene triperoxide diamine (HMTD) explosives – deemed so “sensitive” that they are not used by the military, a “large quantity” of gun powder which was thought to have added up to a kilo at one time and a small quantity of low explosive flash powder.
Along with a number of improvised explosive devices (IED) including a “improvised bamboo” device, explosives experts found “black powder improvised fuses”, which, said Mr Walker, could be “unpredictable”.
As well as the explosives themselves a copy of the Anarchist Cookbook – containing instructions for the manufacture of explosives – was found in the flat, along with hand-drawn diagrams for IEDS including one for a ballpoint pen.
Spinks had stored the explosives in “Tupperware boxes in a wardrobe”, however his flat was “immediately above” another flat and “adjoined” other flats, said Mr Walker.
After his arrest the defendant had admitted that on one occasion 500 grams of black powder “went off” in his flat, “pouring out billows of black smoke” and “throwing” high explosive HMTD around.
The court heard Spinks described one of the IEDs as a “salute” device to be “chucked” into snow or water to make a “big boom”. Speaking about Spinks’ police interview, Mr Walker said: “He admitted he was interested in rockets and educating himself about explosives. There’s a clear risk when those who are not professionals create explosive substances – even more so when it occurs in residential properties.”
Spinks, 52, formerly of Kingley Avenue, who had no previous convictions, admitted 14 counts of making explosives and was found guilty of throwing a corrosive fluid with intent to cause grievous bodily harm after a trial.
Before jailing Spinks for seven years, Judge James Carter told him: “These items were all stored in your home in plastic boxes in a residential area – your flat was above another flat and next to other flats.”
However the judge noted there was “no evidence” Spinks intended to harm anyone. He said: “Your motivation was experimental in an eccentric way and there was no intention to use explosives for harm. The harm comes from the risk that’s inherent in experimentation.” Spinks was handed a restraining order in respect of his victim.