Overview
- On 6 December 2023 a homemade metal cylinder filled with black powder was placed next to a newly installed ULEZ camera in Willersley Avenue, Sidcup, and detonated, causing heavy damage to cars and buildings and sending shrapnel more than 100 metres but causing no serious injuries.
- Counter Terrorism Policing and local detectives used CCTV, deleted photos from the suspect's phone and route footage to identify and arrest Kevin Rees on 18 December 2023.
- Forensic analysis found black powder in the device and police recovered chemical purchases and a price list for explosive precursors at Rees's home, where officers also found three functioning homemade stun guns.
- A jury convicted Rees on 28 January 2026 of causing an explosion likely to endanger life and of possessing prohibited weapons, and on 2 October 2026 the Old Bailey sentenced him to 15 years in prison plus one year on licence with concurrent three-year terms for the stun guns.
- Prosecutors and police said Rees's social media showed sustained hostility to the ULEZ scheme, the terrorism connection finding increases post-release controls, and authorities say the sentence should deter similar attacks on transport infrastructure.