Retired engineer found guilty of Ulez camera explosion

A man who “strongly opposed” the ultra-low emission zone scheme has been found guilty of causing the explosion of an Ulez camera in south-east London.

Retired electrical appliances engineer Kevin Rees was on trial accused of damaging the camera in Willersley Avenue, Sidcup, by using a low-sophistication, improvised explosive device (IED) at about 6.45pm on December 6 2023.

Jurors at Woolwich Crown Court found him guilty of one count of causing an explosion likely to endanger life on Wednesday.

Officers found that Rees used a home-made bomb to cause the explosion, which damaged cars and property up to 100m away, including a child’s bedroom, the Metropolitan Police said.

Ulez requires drivers to pay a daily charge based on how polluting the emissions from their vehicle are.

Cameras have been repeatedly damaged after the Ulez area was expanded to cover all of London in 2023.

They allow Transport for London (TfL) to monitor the cars that enter and exit the zone.

During the trial, Rees agreed with prosecutor Simon Denison KC that, at the time of the incident, he “strongly opposed” the Ulez scheme – and the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan.

“I dislike him, dislike what he has done to London,” the defendant said.

A jury heard how the investigation team identified Rees had travelled in his car from his home in Sidcup to Shuttle Close shortly after 6.20pm on December 6 2023.

The Ulez camera was installed earlier that day, but in a completely unrelated incident had been cut down by another individual, who was also identified and convicted.

Rees walked the short distance from his car to the camera and then planted the device and lit a fuse, police said. He was then seen by a witness walking quickly away from the scene.

Rees was identified as the suspect and he was arrested on December 18 2023 and his home was searched.

Detectives also analysed Rees’s social media activity and found he had posted numerous times about Ulez cameras and encouraged the damaging of them, the Met said.

Three home-made stun guns were found at his address. Rees was also convicted by the jury of three counts of having a prohibited weapon.

During the trial, the defendant denied all involvement in the incident, telling jurors he believed his arrest was linked to his participation in “anti-Ulez” groups on Facebook.

When he was arrested by counter-terror police on December 18, Rees made reference to that explosion and asked officers if his arrest had “something to do with the anti-Ulez sites”.

“There was only one explosion that was on the news and that was the one in Sidcup,” he told the trial, before adding: “I assumed it was just the so-called Facebook police.

“People you hear being arrested for making bad or inappropriate comments on Facebook pages – that’s well-known, as it’s been on the news.

“The thing is, I didn’t actually do anything wrong.”

Rees told jurors he joined “anti-Ulez” Facebook groups and pages out of “boredom” and because it provided him with a sense of community.

Detective Superintendent James Derham, who leads local policing in the Bexley area, said: “It was miraculous that nobody was killed or seriously injured in the large explosion caused by Rees.

“He showed a complete disregard for the welfare and safety of the people who live in, or were travelling through, the area at the time of the explosion – all because he was unhappy with the Ulez scheme.

“His conviction has been possible due to the commitment and professionalism of our CTP London detectives, supported by our frontline policing colleagues in Bexley.

“I’d like to thank the local community for their support and understanding while we responded and investigated this incident, and I hope this sends a very strong message of the dangers and consequences of using home-made explosives.

“Damage of any kind is completely unacceptable and this particular incident demonstrates the very serious consequences for those responsible when taken to this extreme.”

Bethan David, head of the Crown Prosecution Service’s counter terrorism division, said: “This was not an act of protest or momentary vandalism. This was a deliberate and dangerous attack involving a home-made explosive device, carried out in a residential street and designed to destroy public infrastructure.

“Kevin Rees knowingly and intentionally placed an explosive device next to the Ulez camera, lit the fuse and retreated before the explosion, showing clear planning and an obvious disregard for the safety of others.

“Whatever his views on the Ulez scheme, Kevin Rees crossed a serious line by constructing a home-made bomb and detonating it in a public place. It was pure chance that no-one suffered serious injury or worse.

“The Crown Prosecution Service will always seek to prosecute dangerous offending of this nature and hopefully this conviction sends a clear message to other protesters considering taking the law into their own hands.”

Rees, of Harcourt Avenue, Sidcup, will be sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court at a later date.