A homeowner who installed a novelty ‘bomb’ doorbell is facing up to seven years in jail after worried neighbours complained about the plastic device.
Kevin Dennett, 54, was reported to the police after a caretaker spotted the device – which is modelled on the US-issue Claymore Mine – at his housing association flat on March 12 this year.
The item, which is touted on eBay as a ‘Viral Ring Cam’, has black and red wires and is embossed with the slogan ‘Front Toward Enemy.’
It is sold online for £8.31, but can be bought for a discounted price in a multi buy deal.
According to eBay, its Chinese trader sold 30 of the fake devices to date and boasts of it being ‘perfect for pranks and security.’
However, for neighbours of Dennett, this was far from the case, with the device leaving them feeling ‘anxious and fearful’ it would explode.
Dennett, of Runcorn in Cheshire, pleaded guilty to making a bomb hoax at Warrington Magistrates Court and was warned that he could face prison time under sentencing guidelines.
It is unknown if Dennett disclosed where he acquired the imitation bomb, however, he alleged it was placed at his front door to scare off an unwanted visitor who was ‘bullying’ him for money.
The plastic device has black and red wires and is embossed with the slogan ‘Front Toward Enemy’
Kevin Dennett (pictured) is facing up to seven years in jail after worried neighbours complained about the novelty ‘bomb’ doorbell at his apartment
His case was adjourned for a background report, but Dennett could be sent before a judge for a lengthy jail term if JPs consider their sentencing powers to be insufficient.
He was remanded on bail and will be sentenced next month.
Nigel Jones, prosecuting, said witnesses described feeling ‘anxious’ at the sight of the fake device.
He said: ‘The caretaker manager at the property made a report to police saying a device was stuck to the internal front door of the property where the defendant lives.
‘It was a box with black and red wires with some kind of note posted saying ‘Front towards enemy.’
‘The caretaker saw the wires come out of the top of the box going into the letter box of the flat whilst witnesses described feeling anxious and felt fear of the device potentially exploding.
‘Police arrived but the wires had fallen out and it was determined immediately that the device was fake.
‘The defendant refused to come out to discuss the matter with the officers or let them in and he was taken to the floor, arrested and handcuffed. It is not a particularly sophisticated set of circumstances in the general scheme of things.’
Mr Jones added that such an offence has no formal sentencing guidelines.
However, legislation outlines that if the case is dealt with in the magistrates court, the maximum sentence would be six months imprisonment and or a £1,000 fine.
If it is resolved at a crown court, however, the maximum sentence would be seven years in prison.
In mitigation for Dennett, defence lawyer Gary Schooler described it as a ‘very odd case’, but reiterated that the device was fake and therefore had ‘no risk of harm.’
Mr Schooler said: ‘He was interviewed by police and gave a detailed account of his thinking behind placing the item on the door of his particular flat.
‘This is a situation where understandably a member of the public has seen the device on the front door and was clearly concerned enough to contact police about what is going on.
‘He indicated during the course of the interview he had been bullied for many many years by a particular individual named during the course of the interview who at the time was due to be released from prison.
‘This individual has repeatedly bullied him for money, stolen from him repeatedly, threatened him with violence and previously assaulted him.
‘As a consequence of his vulnerability they gave him a police issue phone that he could use in the event of needing to contact police because of the potential harm this individual posed to him.’
He added: ‘Perhaps as a measure of the situation the council, having become aware of the entire facts of the case, are fully supportive of him and they are not taking steps, for example, evicting him. They are aware of the background of this particular episode.
‘What he effectively said in the course of the interview is he placed this imitation claymore mine on his front door in order to frighten this individual away should he try to visit his address following his release from custody.
‘This was an idiotic idea gone wrong but was adopted for the reasons indicated because he was worried about the potential consequences for himself should the individual return to his address.
‘It was a fake and there was no risk of harm.’
Mr Schooler went on to point out that Dennett is someone that ‘suffers mobility problems’.
He said: ‘He suffered an accident many many years ago, shattering his skull and was in hospital for many many years.
‘He has not been the same since, and is physically and psychologically vulnerable.’
Dennett was told by JP Andrew Brothers that the probation service will prepare a report about him.
They said: ‘We will bring you back to court in a few weeks but we cannot exclude custody.’
In a Facebook message on the day of his court appearance, Dennett wrote: ‘I’m sick with worry because I put a plastic bag bomb on my door and I’m getting done for a bomb scare, putting the rest of the residents in danger.
‘You may not see me for a while.’
The US-issue Claymore Mine – which has been in service since the 1960s – has been used in conflicts including the Vietnam War, the Iraq War and most recently, the Russian-Ukraine War.
Unlike a conventional land mine, it can be fired by remote-control, and is directional, shooting a wide range of steel balls into a kill zone.
It can also be activated by a booby-trap tripwire firing system for use in area denial operations.
